A shrine is a place of worship which is associated with a particular holy person or object.
...the holy shrine of Mecca. [+ of]
Synonyms: holy place, temple, sanctuary, altar More Synonyms of shrine
2. countable noun
A shrine is a place that people visit and treat with respect because it is connected with a dead person or with dead people that they want to remember.
The monument has been turned into a shrine to the dead and the missing. [+ to]
Synonyms: memorial, tribute, cairn, monument More Synonyms of shrine
More Synonyms of shrine
shrine in British English
(ʃraɪn)
noun
1.
a place of worship hallowed by association with a sacred person or object
2.
a container for sacred relics
3.
the tomb of a saint or other holy person
4.
a place or site venerated for its association with a famous person or event
5. Roman Catholic Church
a building, alcove, or shelf arranged as a setting for a statue, picture, or other representation of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint
verb
6. short for enshrine
Derived forms
shrinelike (ˈshrineˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English scrīn, from Latin scrīnium bookcase; related to Old Norse skrin, Old High German skrīni
shrine in American English
(ʃraɪn)
noun
1.
a.
reliquary
b.
a niche or other setting for a statue, picture, or other object arousing or designed to arouse devotion
c.
a small area or structure arranged for private devotion
2.
a.
a place revered as the place of death or burial of a saint or other venerable personage
b.
a place revered as the site of a reported supernatural apparition, miraculous occurrence, etc.
c.
any of certain churches or chapels often visited by pilgrims, specif. by those seeking special spiritual help, cures, etc.
3.
any site or structure used in worship or devotion; esp., an area or a temple or templelike structure used in the worship of one or more deities
4.
a.
a place or structure esteemed for its importance or centrality as in history or the arts
b.
a place or structure designed as a memorial to someone or something
verb transitiveWord forms: shrined or ˈshrining
5.
enshrine
Word origin
ME schrin < OE scrin < L scrinium, chest, box, orig., a round container < IE *(s)krei- < base *(s)ker-, to turn: see UNRESOLVED CROSS REF
Examples of 'shrine' in a sentence
shrine
The pilgrims from Evesham arrived in Canterbury on Tuesday and visited the shrine late on Wednesday morning.
Grace, C.L A SHRINE OF MURDERS (2001)
He used to believe in the shrine, that's why he had brought his mother here.
Grace, C.L A SHRINE OF MURDERS (2001)
By then they were only half a mile or so away from the charco and the shrine.
J.A. Jance KISS OF THE BEES (2001)
In other languages
shrine
British English: shrine /ʃraɪn/ NOUN
A shrine is a holy place associated with a sacred person or object.
...the holy shrine.
American English: shrine
Arabic: ضَرِيح
Brazilian Portuguese: santuário
Chinese: 神殿
Croatian: hram
Czech: svatyně
Danish: helligdom
Dutch: heiligdom
European Spanish: santuario
Finnish: pyhäkkö
French: sanctuaire
German: Schrein
Greek: τέμενος
Italian: sacrario
Japanese: 霊廟
Korean: 사당
Norwegian: helligdom
Polish: sanktuarium
European Portuguese: santuário
Romanian: altar
Russian: храм
Latin American Spanish: santuario
Swedish: helgedom
Thai: แท่นบูชา
Turkish: mabet
Ukrainian: святиня
Vietnamese: đền thờ
Chinese translation of 'shrine'
shrine
(ʃraɪn)
n(c)
(religious) 圣(聖)坛(壇) (shèngtán)
(to sb's memory) 圣(聖)地 (shèngdì) (个(個), gè)
1 (noun)
Definition
a place of worship associated with a sacred person or object
the holy shrine of Mecca
Synonyms
holy place
temple
a small Hindu temple
sanctuary
altar
church
one of the country's most historic churches
tabernacle
Holy City
place of pilgrimage
2 (noun)
a shrine to the dead and the missing
Synonyms
memorial
Every village had its war memorial.
tribute
cairn
monument
He laid a wreath on a monument near Bayeux.
3 (noun)
Definition
the tomb of a saint or other holy person
He was given his ceremonial shave in front of the family shrine.
Synonyms
vault
He ordered that Matilda's body should be buried in the family vault.
crypt
people buried in the crypt of an old London church
catacomb
sepulchre
Death holds him in his sepulchre.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of church
Definition
a building for public Christian worship
one of the country's most historic churches
Synonyms
chapel,
temple,
cathedral,
kirk (Scottish),
minster,
basilica,
tabernacle,
place of worship,
house of God,
megachurch (US),
procathedral
in the sense of crypt
Definition
a vault or underground chamber, such as one beneath a church, used as a burial place
people buried in the crypt of an old London church
Synonyms
vault,
tomb,
catacomb,
ossuary,
undercroft
in the sense of monument
Definition
something, such as a statue or building, erected in commemoration of a person or event
He laid a wreath on a monument near Bayeux.
Synonyms
memorial,
cairn,
statue,
pillar,
marker,
shrine,
tombstone,
mausoleum,
commemoration,
headstone,
gravestone,
obelisk,
cenotaph
Nearby words of
shrine
shrewish
shriek
shrill
shrine
shrink
shrink back
shrink from something or someone
Synonyms of 'shrine'
shrine
Explore 'shrine' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of sanctuary
Definition
the part of a church nearest the main altar
Synonyms
shrine,
church,
temple,
altar,
sanctum,
Holy of Holies
in the sense of sepulchre
Definition
a burial vault, tomb, or grave
Death holds him in his sepulchre.
Synonyms
tomb,
grave,
vault,
mausoleum,
sarcophagus,
burial place
in the sense of temple
Definition
a building or place used for the worship of a god or gods