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# sermon

noun (a sermon, sermons)

«sermon» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (church) A sermon is a talk given by a priest, minister or preacher during a religious service, explaining the Bible or teaching how to live. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sermon/#m1)
2. (informal) A sermon is a long, boring telling-off or lecture about how to behave. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sermon/#m2)

### In the lessons

In church the sermon (Catholics often say homily) comes after the Bible readings; it may be short or long. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount includes the Beatitudes ("Blessed are the meek…") and the Lord's Prayer. At home children joke when a parent gives "a sermon" about tidying up. Phrases: preach a sermon, give a sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, a sermon about…

### Examples

- The vicar's sermon was about being kind to strangers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sermon/#x1)
- Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount on a hillside. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sermon/#x2)
- Grandpa fell asleep during the sermon. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sermon/#x3)
- The minister's sermon was only five minutes long today. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sermon/#x4)
- I got a sermon from Dad about leaving my bike in the rain. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sermon/#x5)
- In his sermon, the priest talked about forgiveness. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sermon/#x6)
- "It was a good sermon to-day," the man said at last. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sermon/#x7)

### Note

Countable. Verb: preach (preached). The person: preacher. Informal sense is a little rude about the speaker, so use it jokingly.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «sermon» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sermon/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«sermon» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sermon.html) on Mova free.