Meaning & use
the Church
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Meanings
nounsingular
The Christian religion as an organized institution, including its clergy, teachings and authority, or a particular branch of it.
Grammar: Used with 'the' and usually a capital letter: the Church has always taught this.
Patterns
- the Church of something
- the Church teaches something
The Church once had enormous influence over schools and law.
Many writers criticized the Church for opposing scientific ideas.
She was raised in the Church and sang in the choir as a child.
nouncountable
A particular church building, or the local community of people who meet there.
Grammar: Often with a small c and a place: the church on the corner.
Patterns
- go to the church
- the church in a place
The church at the end of the street is more than six hundred years old.
We met at the church before walking to the village hall.
The church raised money to repair its roof.
Word forms
| plural | the churches |
|---|
Common combinations
- separation of church and state
- The country is proud of its strict separation of church and state.
- join the Church
- He decided to join the Church after years of study.
- the Catholic Church
- The Catholic Church has parishes in almost every country.
- the Church of England
- The Church of England is the official church in England.
- leave the Church
- She left the Church after a disagreement over its teaching.
Synonyms and how they differ
- the clergy
- This refers only to the ordained leaders, whereas the Church includes the whole institution and its members.
- Christianity
- This names the religion and its beliefs, while the Church stresses the organized body of people and officials.
- congregation
- This is only the group of people who attend one church, not the wider institution.
Opposites
Word family
- church noun
- a building for Christian worship
- churchgoer noun
- a person who attends church regularly
- churchyard noun
- the land around a church, often with graves
- ecclesiastical adjective
- relating to the Church or its officials
Commonly confused: the Church or chapel?
the Church vs chapel
A chapel is a smaller place of worship, often inside a larger building or institution, while the Church usually means the whole institution.
Practice
In 'The Church has long influenced education', what does 'the Church' most likely mean?
Choose one answer.
With a capital letter and 'the', Church refers to the wider institution, not one building. The first option would be a lowercase church.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the Church”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.