as in ritual
an oft-repeated action or series of actions performed in accordance with tradition or a set of rules
the annual summer rite of loading up the car for the big family vacation
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Recent Examples of rite
While this was a funeral rite for some in the Roman period, the researchers think the man was decapitated as a mercy killing after the lion bite.
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Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
The death of a pope sets in motion a series of carefully orchestrated rites and rituals well before the conclave to elect his successor begins.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
The funeral Mass will be held on the parvis of St. Peter’s Basilica, and His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the Catholic rites and blessings.
—Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025
The liturgical rite of closing his coffin was led by the Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, the acting head of the church, who is tasked with making arrangements for the pope’s funeral.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rite
Noun
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In each iteration, the body of the deceased was pulled by livestock or carried by boat while mourners performed rituals to honor their lives and, in some cultures, to encourage safe passage for the spirit into the afterlife.—
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Generations pass, cultures overlap, and trends evolve, but the sanctity of beauty rituals for and by ourselves remain.—
Noun
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Meghan and Prince Harry first tied the knot in May 2018 in an ornate ceremony at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom.—
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For the second year in a row, some students have used their graduation ceremonies as a platform to protest against Israel’s conduct of the war.—
Cite this Entry
“Rite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rite. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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