congregations

noun

plural of congregation
1
as in churches
a body of persons gathered for religious worship the whole congregation began to sing with great fervor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in assemblies
a body of people come together in one place a congregation of journalists were at the hotel bar, discussing the latest developments

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 congregations 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 These schools admitted and trained Presbyterians who, as adults, became the rank and file of their congregations – and, as alumni, donated to their alma maters. — Thomas Adam, The Conversation, 4 Aug. 2026 Hamilton is the pastor of the 24,000-member Church of Resurrection, one of the largest United Methodist congregations in the country, located in the Kansas City metro area. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026 Some moved from out of state; others were serving their congregations in other capacities and have been freshly elevated to starring roles. — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026 Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice is a nonprofit organization that works with congregations throughout Southern California to support workers’ rights. — ABC News, 31 July 2026 Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice is a nonprofit organization that works with congregations throughout Southern California to support workers' rights. — CBS News, 31 July 2026 On that Sabbath morning, a gunman shot his way into the synagogue, shouting antisemitic invective and murdering 11 worshipers from the three congregations sharing the building — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life. — Peter Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for congregations
  1. churches
  2. assemblies
  3. conferences
  4. assemblages
  5. meetings
  6. gatherings
Noun
  • 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
Definition of churches
Noun
  • Maintaining spare assemblies also reduces the risk of a component shortage keeping a submarine out of service for longer than necessary.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Aug. 2026
  • They were reportedly found to contain six handguns, Glock slides, trigger assemblies, sight assemblies, rifle magazines, pistol magazines, AM15 rifle parts, a suppressor kit, ammunition and other firearm parts, officials said.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of assemblies
Noun
  • The cap on conference realignment means the Power 4 conferences (the ACC, Big 10, Big 12 and SEC) would be limited to 19 total members.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The top-to-bottom strength of the nation's two preeminent conferences, particularly the SEC, means most programs in those leagues have a reasonably demanding slate.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of conferences
Noun
  • Often these assemblages of items are tied together in a bundle or bag and may be referred to as hands, mojos, or gris-gris.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Six years later, MOCA commissioned Saar to create a series of assemblages and installations to accompany 10 performances of Ellen Sebastian’s theatrical production Sanctified.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of assemblages
Noun
  • Letting Companies Ignore Shareholder Proposals Shareholder proposals brought to a company’s board for potential inclusion on agendas of annual meetings is another long-standing activity.
    — Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The proposals follow eight task force meetings over nine months, and further public outreach will be scheduled before any final changes take effect.
    — Ryan Macasero, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of meetings
Noun
  • The Pitmate™ electric smoker makes authentic BBQ practical enough for weeknight dinners, impromptu family gatherings, and casual outdoor entertaining.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Factors included people staying indoors due to the temperature outside, holiday travel and gatherings.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of gatherings

Browse Nearby Words

congregation
congregations
congress
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Congregations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/congregations. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on congregations

Nglish: Translation of congregations for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All