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Definition of temple noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

     

    temple

     noun
    noun
    NAmE//ˈtɛmpl//
     
     
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  1. 1a building used for the worship of a god or gods, especially in religions other than Christianity the Temple of Diana at Ephesus a Buddhist/Hindu/Sikh temple to go to temple (= to a service in a synagogue, where Jews worship) Topic CollocationsReligionbeing religious
    • believe in God/Christ/Allah/free will/predestination/heaven and hell/an afterlife/reincarnation
    • be/become an agnostic/an atheist/a believer/a Buddhist/Christian/Hindu/Muslim, etc.
    • convert to/practice a religion/Buddhism/Catholicism/Christianity/Islam/Judaism, etc.
    • go to church/temple (= the synagogue)
    • go to the local church/mosque/synagogue
    • belong to a church/a religious community
    • join/enter the Church/a convent/a monastery/the clergy/the priesthood/a religious sect/a cult
    • praise/worship/obey/serve/glorify God
    celebrations and ritual
    • attend/hold/conduct/lead a service
    • perform a ceremony/a rite/a ritual/a baptism/the Hajj/a bar mitzvah/a bat mitzvah
    • carry out/perform a sacred/burial/funeral/fertility/purification rite/the last rites
    • go on/make a pilgrimage
    • celebrate Christmas/Diwali/Easter/Eid/Hanukkah/Passover/Ramadan
    • observe/break the Sabbath/a fast/Ramadan
    • deliver/preach/hear a sermon
    • lead/address the congregation
    • say/recite a prayer/blessing
    religious texts and ideas
    • preach/proclaim/spread the word of God/the Gospel/the message of Islam/a message
    • study/follow the dharma/the teachings of Buddha
    • read/study/understand/interpret scripture/the Bible/the Koran/the Gospel/the Torah
    • be based on/derived from divine revelation
    • commit/consider something heresy/sacrilege
    religious belief and experience
    • seek/find/gain enlightenment/wisdom
    • strengthen/lose/question your faith
    • keep/practice/abandon the faith
    • save/purify/lose your soul
    • obey/follow/keep/break/violate a commandment/Islamic law/Jewish law
    • be/accept/do God's will
    • receive/experience divine grace
    • achieve/attain enlightenment/salvation/nirvana
    • undergo a conversion/rebirth/reincarnation
    • hear/answer a prayer
    • commit/confess/forgive a sin
    • do/perform penance
  2. 2each of the flat parts at the sides of the head, at the same level as the eyes and higher He had black hair, greying at the temples.
See temple in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary