church

The word “church” means a building used for Christian worship. In plain terms, a place, service, or institution connected to Christian worship.

“Church” is pronounced CHURCH (/ˈt͡ʃɝt͡ʃ/ in IPA).

Here is “church” used in a sentence: “The wedding was held in a small stone church.”

Words with a similar meaning to “church” include autem and congregation.

“Church” is a noun.

The word “church” comes from Old English. From Old English cirice, ultimately from a Greek word meaning "belonging to the Lord" — the same root gives Scots kirk and German Kirche.

“Church” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Church” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a building used for Christian worship.

A cathedral is a church, but a special one: it is the main church of a diocese and contains the cathedra, the seat of the bishop who oversees that region. Cathedrals are usually larger and more senior. Every cathedral is a church, but most churches are ordinary parish churches, not cathedrals.

A church is usually a standalone building for a whole congregation. A chapel is smaller and often part of something larger — inside a school, hospital, prison, or big house, or a side space within a cathedral. Chapels serve a narrower group or purpose, while a church serves a full parish community.

No. Besides the building, 'church' can mean the people — the congregation gathered for worship. It can also name a whole Christian denomination or institution, such as the Catholic Church or the Church of England. And 'the Church' broadly refers to the worldwide body of Christian believers as a single community.

The difference is the religion each serves. A church is a place of Christian worship. A temple is a house of worship in faiths such as Hinduism, Buddhism, or Judaism, and a mosque is where Muslims pray. All are places of worship, but 'church' specifically belongs to Christianity.