sin
(noun, verb)
past tense: sinned
LISTEN
A sin is disobedience of a divine law.
- Murder is a sin.
- Patrick confessed his sins to the priest.
- On Yom Kippur, Jews ask God and other people to forgive their sins.
A sin is any serious fault or offense.
- The dictator committed sins against humanity.
- People think that lying is a minor sin these days.
Sin also means ‘to commit a sin.’
- Theresa sinned and then asked God's forgiveness.
Common uses
live in sin: to live as a couple without being married. This sense is now a bit old. Example: “Margaret found out that her parents lived in sin for years before they finally married.”
Did you know?
Christianity teaches of the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth. These are considered excesses of everyday traits. For example, it’s good to enjoy food, but gluttony means that you are obsessed with food. For more information, see Wikipedia’s article.
In pop culture
Watch the trailer for the 1995 movie Seven. It’s about an old detective (Morgan Freeman) teaching a young detective (Brad Pitt) how the seven deadly sins play out in the world of crime.
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