church
church — noun
1. a structure used by Christians for prayer, singing hymns, and holding ceremonies
a structure used by Christians for prayer, singing hymns, and holding ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, and baptisms.
The old stone church on the hill has a bell tower that rings each Sunday.
article + adjective + church + location phrase
The church bells woke Yara at six every morning before school started.
church bells — common sound association
Ravi helped tidy the garden in front of the village church before the Easter service.
Kofi's wedding took place in a small church near the river.
Visitors can go inside the church to see the stained-glass windows and the old organ.
- place of worship
neutral term that works for any religion, not just Christianity
- house of God
more formal and religiously committed in tone
文法句型
the + church
a/an + adjective + church
用法筆記
To describe the building itself, use a or the before church: a wooden church, the local church. When church refers to the service inside the building, no article is used (see sense 3).
常見錯誤
2. one of the organized Christian communities that follow a shared set of beliefs a
one of the organized Christian communities that follow a shared set of beliefs and practices — for example, the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, or a local body of believers who meet in the same building.
The Catholic Church runs over a hundred thousand schools worldwide, from rural Kenya to downtown Tokyo.
capitalized Church for a specific denomination + concrete scope
Pastor Rohan left one church to start a new one in the neighbouring town.
church meaning a specific congregation
Three churches in northern Kyoto share a van to deliver meals to elderly residents each week.
The Baptist Church grew rapidly in the American colonies during the 1700s.
The elders at First Baptist Church vote each year on how to spend their building fund.
- denomination
more formal term focusing on the belief system
- congregation
specifically the local group of people who attend one church building
文法句型
the + capitalized Church (specific group)
a/an + Church
Churches (plural)
用法筆記
When referring to a specific denomination, Church is often capitalized (the Catholic Church, the Methodist Church). When referring to a local congregation as an organization, lowercase church is common and countable (three churches in the district).
常見錯誤
3. a gathering of Christians in a church building for singing, prayer, and a talk f
a gathering of Christians in a church building for singing, prayer, and a talk from a religious leader, usually on a Sunday.
The Watanabe family goes to church every Sunday morning.
go to church — fixed phrase without article
We saw Pastor Tomás at church last night during the evening service.
Hana's grandmother meets her friends after church for tea and biscuits.
While Pastor Amara delivered the sermon, Noa helped the children with their craft activity in the next room.
The Garcia family always arrives early for church to save seats near the front.
文法句型
at church
go to church
after church
during church
before church
用法筆記
In this sense church is uncountable and takes no article: go to church, at church, after church. This distinguishes it from sense 1 (the building: go to the church) and sense 2 (the organization: belong to a church).
常見錯誤
4. the whole Christian religion considered as a single organized body with its lead
the whole Christian religion considered as a single organized body with its leaders, rules, and traditions, including all its members around the world.
By the 1800s, the church had built thousands of charity schools across Europe for children who could not afford tuition.
the church as an institution with historical scope + specific program
Medieval kings often consulted bishops before declaring war, so the church held enormous political influence.
the church + specific historical power dynamic
The church teaches that caring for orphans and widows is a central part of the Christian faith.
Giotto painted a famous series of frescoes for the church in Padua during the 1300s.
In many European countries today, the church no longer controls the education system as it did a hundred years ago.
- Christendom
historical term for the worldwide community of Christians; now less common
- the clergy
more specific — the religious leaders only, not the whole body
文法句型
the Church / the church + singular verb
the church + of + time period
用法筆記
Often capitalized as the Church when referring to the universal Christian body. When uncapitalized, context matters — the church in a historical discussion usually means the institutional Christian religion. Distinguish from sense 2 (a specific denomination) by looking at whether the sentence describes a single named group (Catholic → sense 2) or the whole Christian tradition (sense 4).
常見錯誤
church — adjective
1. belonging to or connected with a church building, a congregation, or Christian w
belonging to or connected with a church building, a congregation, or Christian worship in general — used before a noun.
The church choir will sing at the Christmas service this year.
church choir — common attributive use
Diego helps with church activities on weekends, such as cleaning and gardening.
The church roof needs major repairs after the winter storms damaged it.
Priya joined the church youth group when she was fourteen years old.
- ecclesiastical
formal term, usually about official church structures, not everyday church activities
- congregational
more specific — about the local congregation rather than the building
文法句型
church + noun (attributive)
用法筆記
This adjective always appears before a noun (attributive position). You cannot say 'This activity is church.' Instead use related to / connected with church: 'This activity is connected with the church.'
2. relating to the officially recognized national church of a country, especially t
relating to the officially recognized national church of a country, especially the Church of England; used in legal, historical, or formal discussions of church governance.
Under church law, an Anglican priest cannot marry a divorced person in a church service.
church law — formal legal collocation with specific example
The Church of England's status as the established church means its bishops are appointed by the monarch.
established church — specific constitutional role (monarch appoints bishops)
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the highest authority on church matters in the Anglican Communion.
Until the 1850s, church courts in England handled all legal cases about marriage and inheritance.
- established
when used alone: 'the established church' describes the official state church, usually the Church of England
文法句型
church + noun (formal/legal contexts)
用法筆記
Primarily used in British formal, legal, or historical contexts. In everyday conversation, the broader adjective sense (sense 1) is used instead. The established church refers specifically to the Church of England as the official state church.
church — verb
1. to perform an official Christian ceremony, such as a baptism, wedding, or specia
to perform an official Christian ceremony, such as a baptism, wedding, or special blessing, for someone in a church building — chiefly used in historical or traditional contexts.
The priest churched the newborn baby during the Sunday service.
active: church + person receiving the rite
In Victorian England, families would have their babies churched within a few weeks of birth.
passive: have + object + churched + specific historical period
The bishop churched the newly married couple in a private afternoon ceremony.
The elderly woman asked to be churched before her final illness took hold.
文法句型
church + someone
用法筆記
This verb is now very rare in everyday English and is mostly found in historical texts or descriptions of traditional Christian practices. The more common modern phrasing is 'to baptize,' 'to marry,' or 'to hold a ceremony for' someone in a church.