churches

noun

plural of church
1
as in temples
a building for public worship and especially Christian worship a city that is noted for its many historic churches

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2
as in congregations
a body of persons gathered for religious worship spoke to the whole church at once

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3
as in clergies
the group ordained to perform clerical functions in the Christian church a time when few young men seem to want to join the church

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of churches Parents are naming guardians for their children in case they are detained or deported, while others have stopped working, shopping or even leaving home, relying instead on neighbors and churches. — Maria Santana, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026 The powerful temblor also destroyed more than 100 public facilities, including schools, medical centers and churches. — Yacob Herin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026 Luk grew up without religion, but many childhood friends were religious and invited her to churches and youth groups. — Callum McLennan, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026 At least 167 public facilities, including schools, health centers and churches, were also damaged. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026 The framework includes guidelines allowing residential construction on property owned by public institutions, churches and nonprofits. — Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026 The city is named as one of the seven churches in Asia Minor addressed by Jesus Christ in the Book of Revelation. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026 The coalition has been canvassing the state, visiting churches, grocery stores and neighborhoods to talk to residents about the issue and gathering 3,500 signatures to present to lawmakers in hopes of inspiring legislative change. — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026 Russia has bombed churches, museums, libraries, schools and archives. — Lidia Pilecky, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for churches
  1. temples
  2. congregations
  3. cathedrals
Noun
  • Pilgrims walk between temples, rest in historic ryokan and keep to contemplative daily rituals that discourage mass, high-speed tourism.
    — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • According to the Church, temples are different from meetinghouses, where members gather for Sunday worship services.
    — Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of temples
Noun
  • According to the news release, there are around 400,000 Latter-day Saints in Texas, with 756 congregations.
    — Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In the mid-20th century, Anglican congregations in Kenya swelled in size because of the East African Revival movement.
    — Stephanie TriplettAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of congregations
Noun
  • Enclosed by a network of 13th-century walls, the narrow streets of old York host myriad awe-inspiring relics from its pre-industrial past, perhaps the most famous being York Minster, one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals anywhere.
    — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Jenna Bush Hager and her husband, Henry Chase Hager, soaked up the sights in Rome with their children in August 2025, checking out the iconic Colosseum, taking in historic art and cathedrals, and, of course, eating some gelato.
    — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of cathedrals

Browse Nearby Words

church
churches
churchgoer
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Cite this Entry

“Churches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churches. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of churches for Spanish Speakers

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