sin

¹

[ sin ]

noun

1. transgression of divine law:

   the sin of Adam.

   Synonyms: violation, trespass, misdeed

2. any act regarded as such a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.

   Synonyms: wickedness, wrong

3. any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great fault or offense:

   It's a sin to waste time.

verb (used without object)

, sinned, sin·ning.

1. to commit a sinful act.

   Synonyms: trespass, transgress

2. to offend against a principle, standard, etc.

verb (used with object)

, sinned, sin·ning.

1. to commit or perform sinfully:

   He sinned his crimes without compunction.

2. to bring, drive, etc., by sinning:

   He sinned his soul to perdition.

sin

²

[ seen ]

noun

1. the 22nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

sin

³

abbreviation for

, Trigonometry.

1. sine ( def 1b ).

sīn

⁴

[ seen ]

noun

1. the 12th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

Sin

⁵

[ seen ]

noun

1. the Akkadian god of the moon: the counterpart of the Sumerian Nanna.

sin

¹

/ saɪn /

abbreviation for

1. sine

SIN

²

abbreviation for

1. social insurance number

sin

³

/ siːn /

noun

1. a variant of shin, the 21st letter in the Hebrew alphabet (שׂ), transliterated as S See shin 2

sin

⁴

/ sɪn /

noun

1. theol
   1. transgression of God's known will or any principle or law regarded as embodying this
   2. the condition of estrangement from God arising from such transgression See also actual sin mortal sin original sin venial sin
2. any serious offence, as against a religious or moral principle
3. any offence against a principle or standard
4. live in sin informal.
   (of an unmarried couple) to live together

verb

1. theol to commit a sin
2. usually foll by against to commit an offence (against a person, principle, etc)

sin

⁵

/ sɪn /

preposition

1. a Scot dialect word for since

sin

1. Abbreviation of sine

Derived Forms

• ˈsinner, noun

Other Words From

• sinlike adjective
• sinning·ly adverb
• sinning·ness noun
• un·sinning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sin¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun sinne, sin(e), sen(ne), Old English syn(n) “moral or religious offense, misdeed”; akin to German Sünde, Old Norse synd, Latin sōns (inflectional stem sont- ) “guilty,” literally “that man being the one”; the verb is derivative of the noun; the Germanic and Latin forms all being present participle forms of the root es- “to be”; am ( def )

Origin of sin²

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Hebrew śīn

Origin of sin³

From Arabic

Word History and Origins

Origin of sin¹

Old English synn; related to Old Norse synth, Old High German suntea sin, Latin sons guilty

Idioms and Phrases

see live in sin ; more sinned against than sinning ; multitude of sins ; ugly as sin ; wages of sin .

Synonym Study

See crime.

Example Sentences

In his closing speech to the jury on Tuesday, Michael Ivers KC, for Mr Malik, said his client was "not responsible for the sins of his brother".

From BBC

Schools that theoretically care about cardinal sins like pride, greed, envy — the engines of the name, image and likeness marketplace.

From Los Angeles Times

“There is one sin which I have come to fear above all others: certainty.”

From Salon

If sexual "sin" happens — even if it's outright violence — the fingers are pointed directly at the girl or woman for not being "modest" enough.

From Salon

They stood in quiet protest and handed out leaflets saying travelling on the Sabbath was a sin and damaging to a person's soul and island life.

From BBC