church
Word family nounchurchianitychurchingchurchismchurchgoerchurchgoingchurchmanchurchmanshipchurchpeoplechurch schoolchurchwardenchurchwaychurchwomanchurchyardchurchadjectivechurchlesschurchlychurchyadverbchurchward
Christianity
church /tʃɜːtʃ $ tʃɜːrtʃ/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 
1 [countableC]RRC a building where Christians go to worship 教堂，礼拜堂 → cathedral a short church service
简短的教堂礼拜仪式
church bells
→4 See picture on 见图 Page A13 Town 城镇 教堂的钟
2 [uncountableU]RRC the religious ceremonies in a church 〔教堂的〕礼拜仪式
Mrs Dobson invited us to dinner after church.
多布森太太邀请我们做完礼拜后吃饭。
My parents go to church every Sunday.
我父母每个星期天都去做礼拜。
at church
We didn’t see you at church this morning.
今天早上我们没看到你来做礼拜。
3 [countableC] (also Church) one of the separate groups within the Christian religion 〔基督教的〕教派
the Catholic Church
天主教
4 [singular, uncountableU]RRCRELIGION the institution of the Christian religion, and all the priests and other ministers who are part of it 〔基督教〕教会
the church’s attitude towards marriage
教会对待婚姻的态度
separation of church and state
政教分离
n COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + church
the local church (=the one in a particular area, or near where you live)
The local church dates from the 12th century.
a parish church British EnglishBrE (=the main Christian church in a particular area)
This is the parish church for three villages near here.
a country/town church
an attractive country church surrounded by trees
a (Roman) Catholic church
verbsI followed the crowds to the Roman Catholic church for Mass.
go to church (also attend church formal) (=go to a regular religious ceremony in a church)
Do you go to church?
marry/get married in a church
church + NOUNI’d like to get married in a church.
a church service (=a religious ceremony in a church)
There’s a church service at 10:30 every Sunday morning.
a church hall (=a large room in a church)
The dance was held in the church hall.
church music
church music for small choirs
church bells
I could hear the church bells ringing.
a church tower
I looked at the clock on the church tower.
a church spire/steeple (=a church tower with a pointed top)
The tall church spires could be seen from far away.
the church choir (=a group of people who lead the singing in a church)
Steve’s a member of the local church choir.
a church wedding (=in a church)
She wants to have a church wedding.
n THESAURUS – Meaning 3: one of the separate groups within the Christian religion
religious group
church one of the different groups within the Christian religion – used especially in names
The Roman Catholic church is expanding.
members of the Church of England
denomination a religious group that has slightly different beliefs from other groups who belong to the same religion
Our staff come from churches of all denominations.
Several denominations have developed among Jews.
sect a religious group that has separated from a larger group
He is a leader in the powerful Ansar Sunni Muslim sect.
cult an extreme religious group that is not part of an established religion
Members of the cult all committed suicide on the same day.
Examples from the Corpus
church• It may be no more than a little park near work or a church that you stop by during lunch hour.• Despite all obstacles, state conventions of black Baptist churches did form.• He took us to a Pentecostal meeting in one of the city's many black churches.• Even though I belong to the Catholic Church, I don't agree with everything it says.• The evangelical churches are particularly strong in the big cities.• I've seen her in church occasionally.• The number of divorcees remarrying in church has risen steadily since such weddings were sanctioned in 1981.• During the Middle Ages, living pictures of biblical stories were used in churches to educate the illiterate masses.• Prayer in schools may be against the separation of church and state that the Constitution requires.• Or does it simply make clear that the church tolerates a margin of contradictory views in which extremists can flourish?• The Church of England finally agreed to accept the ordination of women priests.• Do you go to church every Sunday?
go to church• When I must go to church, I go.• Men who wanted to make something of themselves went to church, and they went well dressed.• In 1886, Llewellyn and his family were hissed and booed when they went to church.• They went to church because church was obligatory and they feared the consequences of non-attendance.• Would he, she wondered, expect her and Brian to go to church?• I only got in the car to go to church.• Afterwards we went to church and then sat and watched the sea for a long time.
Old English cirice, from Late Greek kyriakon, from Greek kyriakos “of the lord”, from kyrios “lord, master”