Definition
nounThe act of congregating or collecting together.
nounA gathering of faithful in a temple, church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship. It can also refer to the people who are present at a devotional service in the building, particularly in contrast to the pastor, minister, imam, rabbi etc. and/or choir, who may be seated apart from the general congregation or lead the service (notably in responsory form).
Sentence Examples
The church congregation was moved by the fine sermon.
The congregation was moved by the fine sermon.
The congregation stood to sing the hymn.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English congregacioun, from Old French congregacion, from Latin congregātiō, itself from congregō (“to herd into a flock”). Adopted (1520s) by the English Bible translator William Tyndale, to render the Ancient Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía, “those called together, (popular) meeting”) (hence Latin ecclēsia) in his New Testament, and preferred by 16th century Reformers instead of church. By surface analysis, congregate + -ion.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The critically low level of rainfall in the second half of 2020 – approaching 50% year on year for November – led the religious affairs directorate to instruct imams and their congregations to pray for rain last month."
— 2021 January 13, Bethan McKernan, “Turkey drought: Istanbul could run out of water in 45 days”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 27 Aug 2025:
"In Hebrew, bonai shalom means “builders of peace,” and the congregation welcomes both Jews and non-Jews to participate in all aspects of the community."
— 2025 June 4, Cindy Von Quednow, TuAnh Dam, “Their synagogue taught them to build peace. An antisemitic attack is testing their resilience”, in CNN, archived from the original on 22 Jul 2025:
"During the wedding ( usually held on a Saturday ) , you and your committee sit on " facing benches ” before the rest of the congregation ( your guests ) . Everyone worships silently until you two feel that it's time to say your vows ."
— 1998, Carley Roney, The Knot's Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World: The Ultimate Source of Ideas, Advice, and Relief for the Bride and Groom and Those who Love Them, Broadway Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 94:
""Oh! I wasted most of my morning crawling to a murmuration of starlings, which I foolishly mistook for congregation of plover.""
— 1893 September 27, The Bazaar, the Exchange and Mart, London, page 800, column 3: