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 The Holy Angels congregation was overjoyed at his return, the Tribune reported at the time. — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026 In September, the LDS church stated its opposition to Prop 1 in a letter that was read on two different days in all of its congregations, Whitlock said. — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 12 Oct. 2026 More writer’s assistant jobs followed, including work with a showrunner who was so cruel that Singh thought about moving to San Luis Obispo to become a docent for its famous elephant seal congregation. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026 On Friday, the event began with a procession symbolizing the ways the historic congregation has continued a multigenerational fight for education, faith, and freedom. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 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 past several decades, however, a growing percentage of people in Latin America, long a Catholic stronghold, have been embracing evangelical churches.
    — Johanna Bard Richlin, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Authorities said Willeford, who lived near the church, grabbed his own gun and shot and chased the gunman, helping to stop the massacre.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of church
Noun
  • The nearly six-minute film shows how the team combines precision machining, assembly, and repair to accelerate robot development.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
  • It has since been lifted to a vertical position and moved inside the bay alongside three other Ship upper stages still under assembly.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of assembly
Noun
  • In Labor of Light (2016), an assemblage of technologies comes together as a kind of altar to the history of video production.
    — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • These are electric cars, which apparently justifies a vaguely techy-sounding alphanumeric assemblage.
    — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of assemblage
Noun
  • The program—announced at the Ai Everything conference in the capital–will give government employees hands-on experience with tools such as ChatGPT, Codex, and Microsoft 365 Copilot.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Surveillance footage showed Alfozan approaching the conference room on several occasions despite lacking authorization to enter or participate in meetings there.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of conference
Noun
  • At the first all-crew meeting, Kerry warns everyone to stay vigilant.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The program offers discussions of financing and distribution, opportunities to present unfinished work and pitch projects, and meetings with industry representatives.
    — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of meeting
Noun
  • Last week, when Ocasio-Cortez made three campaign stops for Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, neither Democrat — and no audience members — brought up the topic of Gaza.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Of course, his recognition of the visceral power of live music and directly connecting with an audience makes his indifference to AI all the more baffling.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 18 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on congregation

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about congregation

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