as in faction
a group of people acting together within a larger group
one sect of medical researchers holds the minority view that the disease is not caused by that virus
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sect
The film tells the story of Shakerism—the separatist Christian sect founded by Ann Lee in the mid-18th century.
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Lila Allen, Architectural Digest, 26 Dec. 2025
The religious sect at one point had 6,000 followers.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
But this year, Christian leaders across sects—including Catholics, Evangelicals, and Baptists—sounded the alarm on AI’s potential impact on family, human relationships, labor, and the church itself.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 23 Dec. 2025
The fact is, Shakers have not regularly danced in worship since the 1880s – or less than half of the total time the sect has endured.
—Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sect
Noun
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Riyadh and Abu Dhabi back rival factions in Sudan, and have taken differing positions over Israel’s surprise recognition of Somaliland.—
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In the videos, opposing factions demonstrating across the country rallied around chants in support of and opposition to the Iranian government.—
Noun
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Regardless of which party is calling for the impeachment of judges, the outcome is unlikely to result in a conviction by the Senate.—
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Labor strikes are not allowed, the leadership has control over the courts and media, and last but not least, opposition to the party is not allowed.—
Noun
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During construction, two additional wings were added, flanking the original building to accommodate new guest rooms.—
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And for nearly 200 years, the Navier-Stokes equations have served as an unimpeachable theory of how fluids in the real world behave — from ocean currents threading their way between the continents to air wrapping around an aircraft’s wings.—
Noun
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Once on the Israeli side, we were ordered not to open the windows and to leave the car only through the right-hand doors.—
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Five players scored in double figures, while the home side ended the game on a 19-1 run.—
Cite this Entry
“Sect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sect. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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