Church has 9 different meanings across 4 categories:
Noun · Verb · Intj · Proper Noun
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
"The debate in our neighborhood split along denominational lines, as members from different churches disagreed on how to approach the new zoning laws."
the body of people who attend or belong to a particular local church
"our church is hosting a picnic next week"
A Christian house of worship; a building where Christian religious services take place.
"The old brick church stood quietly at the end of the hill, its steeple piercing the gray sky."
In plain English: A church is a building where people gather to worship and pray together.
"We went to church on Sunday morning."
Usage: Use "church" to refer specifically to a building or institution dedicated to Christian worship and community gatherings. Do not use it for temples, mosques, or other non-Christian places of prayer.
To conduct a religious service for (a woman after childbirth, or a newly married couple).
"After waiting weeks to recover from her surgery, Sarah finally got back up on her feet just in time for the church."
In plain English: To church means to go to a religious building to pray and listen to a sermon.
"The new members decided to church each other in during the warm-up ceremony."
Usage: To church means to take someone, usually a new mother or a bride, to a religious service shortly after childbirth or marriage. Use this verb only in the specific context of bringing someone to celebrate these life events at a church.
Expressing strong agreement.
"I absolutely church when you say that pizza is better than any other food."
A surname.
"The Church family has lived in that house for three generations."
The word church entered English from Old English as a borrowing of an Ancient Greek term meaning "belonging to the lord." It ultimately traces back to a root related to being strong or prevailing, though its specific religious sense was established early in Germanic history.