the separation of church and state
/ðə sepəˌreɪʃn əv ˌtʃɜːtʃ ən ˈsteɪt/
/ðə sepəˌreɪʃn əv ˌtʃɜːrtʃ ən ˈsteɪt/
- (in the US) the principle that the government must not interfere in matters of religion. This is written into the First Amendment of the American Constitution. Since the 1960s, it has been used in court cases to stop prayers in public schools, but many schools continue to allow time for private prayers.
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
the separation of church and state