congregation
noun /ˌkɒŋɡrɪˈɡeɪʃn/
/ˌkɑːŋɡrɪˈɡeɪʃn/
[countable + singular or plural verb]- a group of people who are gathered together in a church for a religious service, not including the priest and choir
- The congregation stood to sing the hymn.
Collocations ReligionReligionBeing religious- believe in God/Christ/Allah/free will/predestination/heaven and hell/an afterlife/reincarnation
- be/become a believer/an atheist/an agnostic/a Christian/Muslim/Hindu/Buddhist, etc.
- convert to/practise a religion/Buddhism/Catholicism/Christianity/Islam/Judaism, etc.
- go to church/(North American English) temple (= the synagogue)
- go to the local church/mosque/synagogue/gurdwara
- belong to a church/a religious community
- join/enter the church/a convent/a monastery/a religious sect/the clergy/the priesthood
- praise/worship/obey/serve/glorify God
- attend/hold/conduct/lead a service
- perform a ceremony/a rite/a ritual/a baptism/the Hajj/a mitzvah
- carry out/perform a sacred/burial/funeral/fertility/purification rite
- go on/make a pilgrimage
- celebrate Christmas/Easter/Eid/Ramadan/Hanukkah/Passover/Diwali
- observe/break the Sabbath/a fast/Ramadan
- deliver/preach/hear a sermon
- lead/address the congregation
- say/recite a prayer/blessing
- preach/proclaim/spread the word of God/the Gospel/the message of Islam
- study/follow the dharma/the teachings of Buddha
- read/study/understand/interpret scripture/the Bible/the Koran/the gospel/the Torah
- be based on/derive from divine revelation
- commit/consider something heresy/sacrilege
- seek/find/gain enlightenment/wisdom
- strengthen/lose your faith
- keep/practise/practice/abandon the faith
- save/purify/lose your soul
- obey/follow/keep/break/violate a commandment/Islamic law/Jewish law
- be/accept/do God’s will
- receive/experience divine grace
- achieve/attain enlightenment/salvation/nirvana
- undergo a conversion/rebirth/reincarnation
- hear/answer a prayer
- commit/confess/forgive a sin
- do/perform penance
Extra Examples- The minister led the congregation in a hymn.
- The priest stood up to address the congregation.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- large
- small
- local
- …
- address
- lead
- serve
- …
- in a/the congregation
- a member of a congregation
- a group of people who regularly attend a particular church
- members of local congregations
Extra ExamplesTopics Religion and festivalsc1- He had established a small congregation in New York City.
- a lay minister serving a small rural congregation
- people attending the congregation where she and her family worship
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- large
- small
- local
- …
- address
- lead
- serve
- …
- in a/the congregation
- a member of a congregation
- (formal) a group or collection of people, animals or things
- Large congregations of birds may cause public harm.
Word Originlate Middle English in the more general sense of a gathering: from Latin congregatio(n-), from congregare ‘collect (into a flock)’, from con- ‘together’ + gregare (from grex, greg- ‘a flock’).