Meaning & use
sanctuary
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A place where someone or something is kept safe from danger or harm.
Grammar: Countable for the place (a sanctuary), uncountable for the protection (seek sanctuary).
Patterns
- seek sanctuary in somewhere
- find sanctuary from something
- offer sanctuary to someone
The refugees found sanctuary in a border town.
The abandoned dogs were taken to an animal sanctuary.
The church offered sanctuary to families fleeing the flood.
nouncountablefigurative
A calm place where you can escape from stress or noise.
Grammar: Often figurative: a quiet sanctuary.
Patterns
- a sanctuary from something
Her garden is a sanctuary from the noise of the city.
The library became his sanctuary during exam season.
nouncountablereligion
The most sacred part of a church or temple, around the altar.
Grammar: Countable religious term: the sanctuary of the church.
Patterns
- the sanctuary of something
Candles burned in the sanctuary during the service.
Only the priests were allowed to enter the sanctuary.
Word forms
| plural | sanctuaries |
|---|
Common combinations
- seek sanctuary
- Many travelers sought sanctuary from the storm.
- wildlife sanctuary
- We visited a wildlife sanctuary to see the rescued owls.
- offer sanctuary
- The village offered sanctuary to those in need.
- a safe sanctuary
- The cabin was a safe sanctuary in the wilderness.
- take sanctuary
- They took sanctuary in the old chapel.
- bird sanctuary
- The marsh was turned into a bird sanctuary.
Synonyms and how they differ
- refuge
- Refuge is the closest word and slightly more common for temporary shelter from danger, whereas sanctuary also carries a sacred or protected tone.
- haven
- Haven suggests a peaceful, welcoming place, often a safe harbor, and can be less formal.
- shelter
- Shelter stresses cover from weather or danger and is more basic, not necessarily protected by law.
- retreat
- Retreat is a place you go on purpose to rest or reflect, not necessarily to avoid danger.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: sanctuary or sanction? sanctuary or sanctum?
sanctuary vs sanction
A sanction is a formal approval or a punishment imposed on a country, not a safe place.
sanctuary vs sanctum
A sanctum is a private room or place where you cannot be disturbed, often called an inner sanctum.
Practice
After the flood, the school became a _____ for families who had lost their homes.
Choose one answer.
A sanctuary is a place of safety. Sanction looks similar but means an approval or penalty, so it does not fit the place described.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sanctuary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.