sinnoun [ C or U ]
uk/sɪn/us/sɪn/C2 the offence of breaking, or the breaking of, a religious or moral law:
to commit/confess a sin
He thinks a lot about sin.
[ + to infinitive ] informal I think it's a sin (= is morally wrong) to waste food, when so many people in the world are hungry.
humorous For my sins (= as if it were a punishment), I'm organizing the office party this year.
More examples
- Roman Catholics go to confession to purge their souls from sin.
- He wanted to confess his sins before he died.
- She may have committed several sins, but greed was not among them.
- They are guilty of the sin of neglect.
- I think it's a sin to hit children.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Religious concepts: sin
- commit
- immortal
- mortal sin
- original sin
- penance
- purification
- sinful
- sinner
- the seven deadly sins
- trespass
- venial
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Morally wrong and evil
sinless
adjective uk/ˈsɪn.ləs/us/ˈsɪn.ləs/
Idiom(s)
as guilty/miserable/ugly as sin
sinverb [ I ]
uk/sɪn/us/sɪn/-nn-to break a religious or moral law:
Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Religious concepts: sin
- commit
- immortal
- mortal sin
- original sin
- penance
- purification
- sinful
- sinner
- the seven deadly sins
- trespass
- venial