Definition, synonyms and related words
plural of church
"The tour guide stopped at several historic churches to show us their unique stained-glass windows."
In plain English: Churches are buildings where people go to worship and pray together.
"The tourists visited many historic churches while exploring the old city."
Usage: Use "churches" to refer to multiple physical buildings where Christian worship takes place or any religious assembly hall. Do not use this word when you mean the general concept of organized religion, which remains singular.
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of church
"She does not believe that her prayers are heard by churches in the sky, but only by God alone."
In plain English: To churches means to go to a religious building for worship.
"They decided to churches the small building after the main sanctuary burned down."
Usage: Do not use "churches" as a verb; instead, say that someone "goes to church" or simply "churches" in the sense of attending religious services, though even then "attends church" is the standard phrasing. The word "churches" is strictly a noun meaning multiple places of worship or an action related to building them, not a verb describing personal attendance.
Derived from Old English cirice, which traces back to the Greek kyriakon meaning "of the Lord," the plural form refers to buildings dedicated to Christian worship. The root originally denoted anything belonging to or associated with a master, specifically Jesus Christ in this context.