English · Word Candidate

congregation

/ˌkɒŋɡɹɪˈɡeɪʃən/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: congregations

Sense 1

Meaning · English

The act of congregating or collecting together.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

A gathering of faithful in a temple, church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship. It can also refer to the people who are present at a devotional service in the building, particularly in contrast to the pastor, minister, imam, rabbi etc. and/or choir, who may be seated apart from the general congregation or lead the service (notably in responsory form).

Noun

Examples

The critically low level of rainfall in the second half of 2020 – approaching 50% year on year for November – led the religious affairs directorate to instruct imams and their congregations to pray for rain last month.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “congregation” mean?

The act of congregating or collecting together.

Is “congregation” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.