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

Examples of rite in a Sentence

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 On Tuesday in California, Apple will reveal its newest iPhone at a highly choreographed event that is an annual rite in Silicon Valley, and the company will then start stocking its stores around the world with the new model. —

Tripp Mickle, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2023 In this case, the different characters are obvious, like some tribes with their rites and attires. —

Erik Maza, Town & Country, 31 Aug. 2023 The connection between politics and religion was so ingrained in Roman life that the people who controlled the state also controlled its religious rites. —

Mary Beard, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023 But the government began reversing its policies in the 1930s, and a 1978 federal law guaranteed tribes the right to practice religious rites and ceremonies. —

Mike Ives, BostonGlobe.com, 4 July 2023 But, for the most part, there was a standard format for imperial funerals in Rome, first established for the last rites of Augustus, in 14 C.E., and based on the distinctive funerary traditions of the old republican élite. —

Mary Beard, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023 Los Angeles is a sushi city — home to countless restaurants that treat raw fish with the sort of reverence usually reserved for religious rites. —

Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2023 President Joe Biden detailed an encounter with the priest that administered the last rites to his late son Beau Biden. —

Ryan King, Washington Examiner, 17 Apr. 2023 Main Street in Westminster was the scene of a local rite of spring on the evening of April 12, with the 40th running of the Westminster Road Runners Club Main Street Mile. —

Kevin Dayhoff, Baltimore Sun, 14 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.