sins 1 of 2

noun

plural of sin
1
as in crimes
a breaking of a moral or legal code a child old enough to know that lying is a sin

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2
as in evils
that which is morally unacceptable a minister who worries that modern society has abandoned the concept of sin

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3
as in shames
a regrettable or blameworthy act it's a sin to waste food when people are starving

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4
as in weaknesses
a defect in character my besetting sin is impatience—I hate to wait for anything

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sins

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of sin
as in trespasses
to commit an offense bless me, Father, for I have sinned

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sins
Noun
Lamb, who was once floated for the service’s top job, treats his current position as a kind of penance for past sins, both for himself and for his underlings. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026 In what might be Warner’s only good decision this year, the studio is atoning for its censorship sins by releasing a 4K restoration of the director’s original cut across cinemas. — Juan A. Ramírez, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2026 Per the official logline, in the final season, as the survivors race to bury their sins before rescue arrives and an old flame roars back into town with plans of her own. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026 Many crimes, including property crimes like burglary or moral sins such as adultery, were punishable by death in the American colonies. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026 The Virgin acts as both midwife and priest, sheltering the pregnant pilgrim from the storm and washing away her sins so that she, too, can be delivered. — Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026 A lot along Colorado Boulevard may go from cleansing sins to cleansing Subarus, although some nearby residents hope to stop it. — Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2026 The girls urged Flynn to confess to the murder and repent for his sins. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2026 Kaporos is intended to symbolize the transfer of one’s sins to a chicken. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
John DeWitt, the four-star general who oversaw the internment program, in particular, seems to be a forerunner to some of America's worst errors, paranoia, sins. — Philip Elliott, Time, 1 Dec. 2025 God’s likeness, which is our true, spiritual identity, never sins and is never punished. — Tony Lobl, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sins
  1. crimes
  2. evils
  3. shames
  4. weaknesses
  5. falls
  6. violations
  7. wrongs
  8. faults
Noun
  • Comparing the administration's fight to protect women and women's spaces from males to rape, is utterly disgusting and actually devalues those atrocities and crimes against actual women.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • McKinney touts the city attorney’s prosecutor role as a means to stem quality-of-life crimes and curb homelessness.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of crimes
Noun
  • Given the end of the world, which is the greater of the two evils?
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
  • One key objection was the mature tone of the narrative, in which the child protagonist is directly confronted and endangered by the evils derived from fascist ideologies.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of evils
Noun
  • While his character jokes casually about the shames of flying commercial, Ruck apologizes several times when referencing that, after 40 years of acting, work trips are often flown first class.
    — Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Nov. 2021
Definition of shames
Noun
  • In parts of society or in businesses, AI could exacerbate existing weaknesses, like extreme income inequality and the loneliness epidemic.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The policy follows security tests that exposed weaknesses in OpenAI’s research infrastructure.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of weaknesses
Verb
  • The 6% lead for the No side falls outside the poll’s margin of error, which was around 3% according to PPIC.
    — Andrew Graham October 27, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The Hamptons If your trip falls between late spring and early fall and you’re situated on the East Coast, a trip to the Hamptons will likely be hassle-free enough for everyone involved.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of falls
Noun
  • Matthew Unglesbee, a 36-year-old resident of Quincy in southwestern Illinois, was charged with violations related to false information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Although the cameras aren’t yet issuing official tickets — the program must undergo a 60-day warning period in November — preliminary testing data captured 100,000 speeding violations over the course of nine days last month.
    — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of violations
Noun
  • Charlotte has many more chances to right its wrongs, of course, starting with home games Saturday and Monday.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Those of us in the creative world have to embrace all the ups and downs, and the rights and the wrongs.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of wrongs
Noun
  • Defending champion Rybakina hit six aces but needed 11 set points to take the first set in a match that featured erratic serving and a total of 11 double-faults between her and Shnaider.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But for all Vicki’s faults, this season of RHOC is also doing her no favors.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of faults

Browse Nearby Words

sinning
sins
sin tax
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Cite this Entry

“Sins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sins. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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