We’ll explore idioms for church, delving into their meanings and providing sentences to help you understand how they are used. So, let’s not beat around the bush and dive right in!
When describing a church, people often compare it to different things. You can find some comparisons like metaphors and similes for church in these links: Metaphors for Church and Similes for Church.
What is an Idiom for Church?
Idioms for church are phrases that originated from or relate to religious and church settings, but are used in everyday conversations to convey a different meaning.
These idioms draw inspiration from the practices, beliefs, and experiences associated with the church.
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240Here’s a list of idioms for church, along with their meanings and example sentences:
| Idiom | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Preaching to the choir | Trying to persuade someone who already agrees with you | Convincing John to recycle is like preaching to the choir; he’s an environmentalist. |
| Amen corner | A group of enthusiastic supporters or believers | The fans in the front row were like the amen corner, cheering for their favorite team. |
| Bible thumper | A person who is very religious and often tries to persuade others to follow their beliefs | She’s a real bible thumper, always quoting scripture. |
| Bells and whistles | Extra features or enhancements that are unnecessary | The new car comes with all the bells and whistles, but I just need something basic. |
| Call to worship | An invitation to begin a religious service | The church bells ringing served as the call to worship on Sunday mornings. |
| Cross to bear | A burden or problem that one has to deal with | Her chronic illness was a cross to bear, but she faced it with grace. |
| Devil’s advocate | A person who takes the opposing view in an argument or discussion, often for the sake of debate | Sarah played devil’s advocate in our debate on the new school policy. |
| Fish out of water | Feeling uncomfortable or out of place in a particular situation | At the rock concert, she felt like a fish out of water among the enthusiastic fans. |
| Sacred cow | A person or thing that is regarded as immune from criticism or questioning | In that company, the CEO is a sacred cow; no one dares to challenge his decisions. |
| Choirboy | A young, innocent, and well-behaved boy | Despite his mischievous nature at home, he turns into a choirboy at church. |
| Holy grail | A highly sought-after and elusive goal or object | For many researchers, discovering a cure for cancer is the holy grail of medicine. |
| Leap of faith | Taking a risk or making a decision without complete evidence or assurance | Starting his own business was a leap of faith that eventually paid off. |
| Sacred ground | A place that is revered and should not be violated or disrespected | The battlefield is considered sacred ground, and it’s now a memorial. |
| Sheepish | Feeling embarrassed or ashamed | After his mistake, he had a sheepish look on his face. |
| Saved by the bell | Rescued from a difficult situation just in time | I was about to fail the test when the fire alarm rang; I was saved by the bell. |
| Heaven-sent | Something that is a wonderful and unexpected gift or opportunity | The job offer came at the perfect time; it was heaven-sent. |
| Cloak and dagger | Secretive and mysterious activities | The government’s cloak-and-dagger operations were shrouded in secrecy. |
| Break bread | To share a meal with others, often as a sign of friendship or unity | We gather every Sunday to break bread and celebrate our bond. |
| Good Samaritan | A person who selflessly helps others in need | The stranger who stopped to help the injured dog was a true Good Samaritan. |
| In the same boat | Facing the same difficulties or challenges as others | During the power outage, we were all in the same boat, trying to find candles. |
| Holy roller | A person who is very religious and enthusiastic in their beliefs | He’s a holy roller, always speaking passionately about his faith. |
| God-fearing | Having a deep respect and reverence for God | In this community, being God-fearing is a common trait among its members. |
| By the book | Following the rules and guidelines precisely | The police officer always does everything by the book. |
| Spare the rod, spoil the child | If you don’t discipline children, they will become spoiled or undisciplined | Some parents believe in the saying “spare the rod, spoil the child.” |
| Preacher’s kid | A child of a clergyman, often stereotypically expected to be well-behaved | She’s a preacher’s kid, but she’s not as reserved as you might think. |
| Sing from the same hymn sheet | To have a shared understanding or agreement on a particular issue | In order to succeed, the team needs to sing from the same hymn sheet. |
| Worthy of worship | Deserving of admiration and reverence | Nelson Mandela is often seen as a figure worthy of worship for his fight against apartheid. |
Idioms for Church
- Preaching to the choir
- Meaning: Trying to persuade someone who already agrees with you.
- In a Sentence: Convincing John to recycle is like preaching to the choir; he’s an environmentalist.
- Amen corner
- Meaning: A group of enthusiastic supporters or believers.
- In a Sentence: The fans in the front row were like the amen corner, cheering for their favorite team.
- Bible thumper
- Meaning: A person who is very religious and often tries to persuade others to follow their beliefs.
- In a Sentence: She’s a real bible thumper, always quoting scripture.
- Bells and whistles
- Meaning: Extra features or enhancements that are unnecessary.
- In a Sentence: The new car comes with all the bells and whistles, but I just need something basic.
- Call to worship
- Meaning: An invitation to begin a religious service.
- In a Sentence: The church bells ringing served as the call to worship on Sunday mornings.
- Cross to bear
- Meaning: A burden or problem that one has to deal with.
- In a Sentence: Her chronic illness was a cross to bear, but she faced it with grace.
- Devil’s advocate
- Meaning: A person who takes the opposing view in an argument or discussion, often for the sake of debate.
- In a Sentence: Sarah played devil’s advocate in our debate on the new school policy.
- Fish out of water
- Meaning: Feeling uncomfortable or out of place in a particular situation.
- In a Sentence: At the rock concert, she felt like a fish out of water among the enthusiastic fans.
- Sacred cow
- Meaning: A person or thing that is regarded as immune from criticism or questioning.
- In a Sentence: In that company, the CEO is a sacred cow; no one dares to challenge his decisions.
- Choirboy
- Meaning: A young, innocent, and well-behaved boy.
- In a Sentence: Despite his mischievous nature at home, he turns into a choirboy at church.
- Holy grail
- Meaning: A highly sought-after and elusive goal or object.
- In a Sentence: For many researchers, discovering a cure for cancer is the holy grail of medicine.
- Leap of faith
- Meaning: Taking a risk or making a decision without complete evidence or assurance.
- In a Sentence: Starting his own business was a leap of faith that eventually paid off.
- Sacred ground
- Meaning: A place that is revered and should not be violated or disrespected.
- In a Sentence: The battlefield is considered sacred ground, and it’s now a memorial.
- Sheepish
- Meaning: Feeling embarrassed or ashamed.
- In a Sentence: After his mistake, he had a sheepish look on his face.
- Saved by the bell
- Meaning: Rescued from a difficult situation just in time.
- In a Sentence: I was about to fail the test when the fire alarm rang; I was saved by the bell.
- Heaven-sent
- Meaning: Something that is a wonderful and unexpected gift or opportunity.
- In a Sentence: The job offer came at the perfect time; it was heaven-sent.
- Cloak and dagger
- Meaning: Secretive and mysterious activities.
- In a Sentence: The government’s cloak-and-dagger operations were shrouded in secrecy.
- Break bread
- Meaning: To share a meal with others, often as a sign of friendship or unity.
- In a Sentence: We gather every Sunday to break bread and celebrate our bond.
- Good Samaritan
- Meaning: A person who selflessly helps others in need.
- In a Sentence: The stranger who stopped to help the injured dog was a true Good Samaritan.
- In the same boat
- Meaning: Facing the same difficulties or challenges as others.
- In a Sentence: During the power outage, we were all in the same boat, trying to find candles.
- Holy roller
- Meaning: A person who is very religious and enthusiastic in their beliefs.
- In a Sentence: He’s a holy roller, always speaking passionately about his faith.
- God-fearing
- Meaning: Having a deep respect and reverence for God.
- In a Sentence: In this community, being God-fearing is a common trait among its members.
- By the book
- Meaning: Following the rules and guidelines precisely.
- In a Sentence: The police officer always does everything by the book.
- Spare the rod, spoil the child
- Meaning: If you don’t discipline children, they will become spoiled or undisciplined.
- In a Sentence: Some parents believe in the saying “spare the rod, spoil the child.”
- Preacher’s kid
- Meaning: A child of a clergyman, often stereotypically expected to be well-behaved.
- In a Sentence: She’s a preacher’s kid, but she’s not as reserved as you might think.
- Sing from the same hymn sheet
- Meaning: To have a shared understanding or agreement on a particular issue.
- In a Sentence: In order to succeed, the team needs to sing from the same hymn sheet.
- Worthy of worship
- Meaning: Deserving of admiration and reverence.
- In a Sentence: Nelson Mandela is often seen as a figure worthy of worship for his fight against apartheid.
Here are 10 quiz questions related to the idioms from the article:
Quiz 1:
- What does the idiom “Preaching to the choir” mean?
a) Trying to persuade someone who disagrees with you
b) Trying to persuade someone who already agrees with you
c) Giving a sermon in a church
d) Trying to convince someone to sing in the choir
Quiz 2:
- If someone is described as a “Bible thumper,” what does it imply?
a) They are an expert in biblical studies
b) They are a person who reads the Bible silently
c) They are a very religious person who tries to persuade others to follow their beliefs
d) They are a person who likes to carry a Bible everywhere they go
Quiz 3:
- What does the idiom “Saved by the bell” mean?
a) Rescued from a difficult situation just in time
b) Saved by ringing a church bell
c) Being saved by prayer
d) Saved by a phone call
Quiz 4:
- If someone is described as “Fish out of water,” how do they feel in a particular situation?
a) Comfortable and at ease
b) Uncomfortable and out of place
c) Excited and enthusiastic
d) Hungry and thirsty
Quiz 5:
- What is the meaning of the idiom “Holy grail”?
a) A highly sought-after and elusive goal or object
b) An ancient religious artifact
c) A special type of church service
d) A secret religious ceremony
Quiz 6:
- When someone is said to “Break bread,” what are they doing?
a) Literally breaking bread into pieces
b) Sharing a meal with others, often as a sign of friendship or unity
c) Baking bread from scratch
d) Cutting a loaf of bread into slices
Quiz 7:
- What does the idiom “By the book” mean?
a) Reading a novel
b) Following the rules and guidelines precisely
c) Reading a religious scripture
d) Using a recipe book to cook
Quiz 8:
- If someone is described as a “Good Samaritan,” what does it imply about them?
a) They are a person who is always friendly
b) They are a person who selflessly helps others in need
c) They are a religious leader
d) They are a Samaritan by nationality
Quiz 9:
- What is the meaning of the idiom “Spare the rod, spoil the child”?
a) If you don’t discipline children, they will become spoiled or undisciplined
b) Children should be given extra toys
c) Discipline should be harsh to spoil the child
d) Children should be given more freedom
Quiz 10:
- When someone is said to be “In the same boat,” what does it mean?
a) They are in a boat on a lake
b) They are facing the same difficulties or challenges as others
c) They are traveling together
d) They are lost at sea
Answers:
- b) Trying to persuade someone who already agrees with you
- c) They are a very religious person who tries to persuade others to follow their beliefs
- a) Rescued from a difficult situation just in time
- b) Uncomfortable and out of place
- a) A highly sought-after and elusive goal or object
- b) Sharing a meal with others, often as a sign of friendship or unity
- b) Following the rules and guidelines precisely
- b) They are a person who selflessly helps others in need
- a) If you don’t discipline children, they will become spoiled or undisciplined
- b) They are facing the same difficulties or challenges as others
Conclusion
Idioms for church provide a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of religion, culture, and everyday language. They allow us to convey complex ideas and emotions using simple phrases rooted in the traditions of the church.
