Sanctuary
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A place of safety, refuge, or protection. countable, uncountable
"My car is a sanctuary, where none can disturb me except for people who cut me off."
- 2 area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir; often enclosed by a lattice or railing wordnet
- 3 An area set aside for protection. countable, uncountable
"The bird sanctuary has strict restrictions on visitors so the birds aren't disturbed."
- 4 a shelter from danger or hardship wordnet
- 5 A state of being protected, asylum. countable, uncountable
"The government granted sanctuary to the defector, protecting him from his former government."
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- 6 a consecrated place where sacred objects are kept wordnet
- 7 The consecrated (or sacred) area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar. countable, uncountable
"Near-synonym: chancel (broadly synonymous)"
Example
More examples"The tiger, having had its wounds treated, was returned by the villagers to the animal sanctuary without incident."
Etymology
From Middle English seyntuarie, from Old French saintuaire, from Late Latin sanctuarium (“a sacred place, a shrine, a private cabinet, in Medieval Latin also temple, church, churchyard, cemetery, right of asylum”), from Latin sanctus (“holy, sacred”); see saint.
Related phrases
More for "sanctuary"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.