rite
noun
ˈrīt 
1
a
: a prescribed form or manner governing the words or actions for a ceremony
b
: the ceremonial practices of a church or group of churches
2
: a ceremonial act or action
initiation rites
3
: a division of the Christian church using a distinctive liturgy
Synonyms
- ceremonial
- ceremony
- form
- formality
- observance
- ritual
- solemnity
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Incense is often burned in their religious rites. the annual summer rite of loading up the car for the big family vacation
Recent Examples on the Web Taking a similar comedic tilt, this has quarrelsome besties Nate (Archelaus Crisanto) and Troy (co-helmer Joseph) hired to video some neighbors’ occult rite on the eve of Y2K. 
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 15 Sep. 2022 Their music was celebrated and debated nightly in the Dunbar Hotel lounge and enacted as a holy rite in the Alabam Club, the Bird in the Basket and that secular temple the Lincoln Theater. Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2022 Leaphorn is on the job when a couple of bodies, including that of his late son’s former girlfriend, are found at a local motel, perhaps tied to a spiritual rite. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 June 2022 Nadal, already a 13-time French Open champion, is back in the final at Roland Garros, which has come to feel like a Parisian rite of spring. New York Times, 3 June 2022 The edict allows bishops to regulate the Latin Mass in their dioceses, but adds certain conditions to the rite’s celebration that will in effect curtail it. BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2021 Retirement is perhaps more a rite than a necessity. New York Times, 4 July 2022 The sound of engines roaring in the sky is a rite of summer for Brian Maitland. Chandra Fleming, Detroit Free Press, 14 July 2022 Not long ago, Miami Heat-Boston Celtics in the playoffs were a rite of spring. Matt Eppers, USA TODAY, 17 May 2022 See More
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 15 Sep. 2022 Their music was celebrated and debated nightly in the Dunbar Hotel lounge and enacted as a holy rite in the Alabam Club, the Bird in the Basket and that secular temple the Lincoln Theater. Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2022 Leaphorn is on the job when a couple of bodies, including that of his late son’s former girlfriend, are found at a local motel, perhaps tied to a spiritual rite. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 June 2022 Nadal, already a 13-time French Open champion, is back in the final at Roland Garros, which has come to feel like a Parisian rite of spring. New York Times, 3 June 2022 The edict allows bishops to regulate the Latin Mass in their dioceses, but adds certain conditions to the rite’s celebration that will in effect curtail it. BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2021 Retirement is perhaps more a rite than a necessity. New York Times, 4 July 2022 The sound of engines roaring in the sky is a rite of summer for Brian Maitland. Chandra Fleming, Detroit Free Press, 14 July 2022 Not long ago, Miami Heat-Boston Celtics in the playoffs were a rite of spring. Matt Eppers, USA TODAY, 17 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin ritus; akin to Greek arithmos number — more at arithmetic
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing rite
Kids Definition
rite
noun
ˈrīt
: an act performed in a ceremony
rite
noun
as in ritual
an oft-repeated action or series of actions performed in accordance with tradition or a set of rules the annual summer rite of loading up the car for the big family vacation Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- ritual
- ceremony
- ceremonial
- observance
- tradition
- celebration
- solemnity
- formality
- practice
- form
- etiquette
- protocol
- standard
- decorum
- graces
- civility
- proprieties
- habit
- custom
- service
- convention
- manners
- way
- mores
- amenities
- practise