rite

noun

ˈrīt

Synonyms of rite next

: a prescribed form or manner governing the words or actions for a ceremony

: the ceremonial practices of a church or group of churches

: a ceremonial act or action

initiation rites

: a division of the Christian church using a distinctive liturgy

Example Sentences

Incense is often burned in their religious rites. the annual summer rite of loading up the car for the big family vacation

Recent Examples on the Web The nuns and their pastor at the Gower Abbey conduct Masses and prayer services in Latin, using the Traditional Latin Mass – a rite within Catholicism that the FBI considered using as a reason to conduct anti-domestic terrorism activities. —

Thomas Phippen, Fox News, 4 June 2023 The archbishop will invite millions of people from across the nation and Commonwealth to pay homage to the king, a rite that was reserved for the hereditary aristocracy at Elizabeth’s coronation. —

Mark Landler, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2023 Sharing a weekend with the Red Sox home opener — the city's other sporting rite of spring — more than 28,000 runners returned to the streets from Hopkinton to Copley Square six months after a smaller and socially distanced event that was the only fall race in its 126-year history. —

Jimmy Golen, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2022 The Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York has finally returned after a four-year hiatus due to COVID-19, and exuberance around the return of this design community spring rite can be felt throughout the Beaux Arts townhouse. —

Parker Bowie Larson, ELLE Decor, 16 May 2023 As a result, it was buried in a marble shrine according to Roman rites that saw lightning as an expression of divine forces. —

Francesco Sportelli, BostonGlobe.com, 13 May 2023 Before some 2,300 invited VIPs at Westminster Abbey — and an audience of millions worldwide — Charles and his wife, Camilla, enacted the arcane centuries-old rites of coronation, albeit punctuated by more changes of wardrobe than during a Taylor Swift concert. —

Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2023 Rafael Nadal competing in — and usually winning — the French Open has become one of the major rites of spring for close to two decades. —

Adam Zagoria, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023 With each passing year, the rite of remembrance becomes more urgent as the number of those who experienced the Holocaust continues to dwindle. —

Camille Fine, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.