congregation

noun

ˌkäŋ-gri-ˈgā-shən How to pronounce congregation (audio)
Definition of congregationnext
1
as in church
a body of persons gathered for religious worship the whole congregation began to sing with great fervor

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in assembly
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 congregation College Principal Robert Wafula said the training ensures the correct message is taught to congregations and has helped in other countries such as Rwanda, where the government closed 70 Quaker churches in a recent crackdown led by untrained pastors. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026 The congregation intoned their amen and broke into a loose, milling group. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 Wyatt’s life-changing encounter with the divine happened without a congregation or clergy. — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026 The congregation at Messiah Lutheran Church celebrated its official grand reopening Sunday. — Raymond Strickland, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for congregation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for congregation
  1. church
  2. assembly
  3. assemblage
  4. conference
  5. meeting
  6. audience
Noun
  • Over the years, Chivayo gave away dozens of luxury cars, buses, cash and other gifts to celebrities, church leaders, sports figures, politicians and social media followers, frequently broadcasting his largesse online.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • At age 10 Tillman made his public acting debut in his church’s Christmas production.
    — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of church
Noun
  • Julien Puyou, Airbus’ Widebody Program head, stressed that the flight marked the culmination of years of engineering, testing, and assembly.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The battery assembly is the only part of the AirPods 5 that earned major praise from iFixit, but there’s a catch there as well.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of assembly
Noun
  • For decades, the Smithsonian Institution, which draws some 15 million visitors every year to its assemblage of 21 museums — bounty that has no real global peer — has managed to stay mostly above the political fray.
    — Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 24 Sep. 2026
  • There’s the largest assemblage of Lichtenstein mirror works ever installed together in a museum context, and a complete re-creation of his first Pop art show at Leo Castelli’s gallery uptown.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of assemblage
Noun
  • Speaking Tuesday at Sportico’s Invest conference in London, Wrexham AFC non-executive director and former English Football League CEO Shaun Harvey said the soccer community needs to be thinking beyond this one case.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The presidents and chancellors of Clemson, Florida State, Miami and North Carolina sent a letter last week to House leaders seeking to increase the bill's membership cap for conferences from 20 to 22 schools.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of conference
Noun
  • Osborn has been traveling across Nebraska to hold meetings in all 93 counties and has repeatedly criticized Ricketts for not holding town halls to meet with constituents.
    — NICHOLAS INGRAM, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The meeting came as indirect talks between Washington and Tehran have yet to yield meaningful progress.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of meeting
Noun
  • For 70 years, the festival has brought really the best of the year in cinema to audiences.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The most justifiable criticism against the DC detective series is that its mysteries play out wordily, without letting the audience in on how its space cops come to major conclusions.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of audience

Browse Nearby Words

congregating
congregation
congregations
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Cite this Entry

“Congregation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/congregation. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on congregation

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about congregation

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