sermon
gb/sˈɚmən/ us/sˈɚmən/
B1
Anglais
~ 4500
Sens
0 sens
Nom
B1
entity
1
Religious speech in a service
A speech about religion or morals given by a priest or other religious leader in church.
Schéma d’usage :
to give/deliver/preach [a sermon]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'sermon' with 'ceremony'; a sermon is the speech, while a ceremony is the whole event.
Synonymes
homily (Usually refers to a shorter, more informal religious talk, especially in Catholic tradition.)
Antonymes
silence (Refers to the absence of speech, opposite to giving a spoken address.)
Collocations
deliver a sermon
|preach a sermon
|Sunday sermon
|sermon on the mount
|sermon series
Thèmes
religion
|communication
|public speaking
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The priest delivered a powerful sermon about forgiveness.
- She listened closely to the sermon on kindness.
- His sermon lasted nearly forty minutes.
- The bishop’s sermon addressed current social issues.
- Many people found the sermon inspiring and thought-provoking.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The pastor gave a sermon at church.
- I heard a sermon about helping others.
- The sermon was about love and peace.
- We listened to the Sunday sermon.
- The priest’s sermon was short today.
Nom
B2
entity
2
Long moralizing talk
A long talk that tries to teach you what is right or wrong, often in a way that feels annoying.
Schéma d’usage :
to give [someone] [a sermon] about [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may think this always refers to religion; in modern use, it can also mean any long moralizing talk.
Synonymes
lecture (Can mean an educational talk, but here refers to one that criticizes or instructs morally.)
Antonymes
conversation (A two-way exchange of ideas, unlike a one-sided moralizing speech.)
Collocations
long sermon
|political sermon
|give someone a sermon
|moral sermon
Thèmes
communication
|emotions
|education
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- After I was late, my boss gave me a sermon about punctuality.
- He launched into a sermon about the evils of social media.
- Nobody wanted to sit through his political sermons again.
- She gave me a sermon on healthy eating.
- I tried to avoid another sermon from my parents.
Exemples pédagogiques
- My mother gave me a sermon about studying.
- He gave us a long sermon about being polite.
- I don’t like when people give me sermons.
- The teacher gave a sermon on working hard.
- She gave him a sermon about cleaning his room.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
sermon
API
GB/sˈɚmən/
US/sˈɚmən/
Syllabes et accentuation
ser - mon (2 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (ser)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: sermon
- Plural: sermons
Famille de mots
Expressions
deliver a sermon
1/dɪlˈɪvɚ ə sˈɚmən/
fixed phrase
Give religious speech in service
To give a formal talk about religion during a church service.
Exemples
- The pastor will deliver a sermon on compassion this Sunday.
- He delivered a moving sermon during the Easter service.
sermon on the mount
1/sˈɚmən ˈɔn ðə mˈaʊnt/
fixed phrase
Biblical teaching by Jesus
The famous teaching of Jesus found in the Bible, in Matthew chapters 5–7.
Exemples
- The Sermon on the Mount includes the Beatitudes.
- Many Christians study the Sermon on the Mount for guidance.
preach to the choir
1/pɹˈit͡ʃ tə ðə kwˈaɪɚ/
idiom
informal
persuade people who already agree
To talk in order to change someone’s mind, when that person already agrees with you.
Exemples
- Telling environmentalists that climate change is real is like preaching to the choir.
- If you’re telling me that climate change is real, you’re preaching to the choir.
- You don’t need to tell me recycling is important—you’re preaching to the choir.
- You don’t need to explain that to me—you’re preaching to the choir.
- Don’t bother explaining recycling to her; you’re preaching to the choir.
- When she warned us about exam stress, the teacher was preaching to the choir; we were already worried.
- He realized he was preaching to the choir and decided to end the speech early.
- If you complain about low pay to other workers, you’re just preaching to the choir.