sin

sin — noun

1. An act that breaks a rule taught by a religion or a widely accepted moral princi

1.nounC2
Definition

An act that breaks a rule taught by a religion or a widely accepted moral principle, believed to offend God or damage a person's relationship with God — for instance, lying, stealing, or deliberately hurting another person.

Example

Ada confessed her sin to the priest and promised to make things right.

confess + sin; followed by to + person

Hari believes that harming another person is a sin against God's teachings.

sin against + belief system

Common collocations
  • commit a sin
  • confess a sin
  • forgive a sin
  • original sin
  • mortal sin
  • deadly sin
  • sin against
Synonyms
  • transgression

    more formal; can be legal, social, or religious

  • wrongdoing

    broader; covers any bad act without religious framing

  • offence

    can be legal or moral; less religious than sin

Antonyms
  • virtue

    a morally good quality or act

  • good deed

    positive action that follows moral rules

Usage Note

Frequently used with commit, confess, or forgive as the verb. The phrase original sin refers to the first sin of Adam and Eve in the Christian tradition.

Common Mistakes

He committed a sin by parking in a no-parking zone.
He committed a parking violation by parking in a no-parking zone.
Sin refers to religious or deeply moral wrongdoing, not ordinary rule-breaking.
I sinned the cake.
I sinned by eating the cake when I had promised to fast.
Sin is not a transitive verb taking a direct object of the thing done wrong.

2. The ways a person uses their body for physical pleasure, especially sexual activ

2.nounC2
Definition

The ways a person uses their body for physical pleasure, especially sexual activity, that a religion considers morally wrong or shameful.

Example

The old teachings describe the sin of lust as a fire that consumes the spirit.

sin of + [desire/quality]

Élise read that certain bodily pleasures were called sins by early church leaders.

passive: were called sins by

Common collocations
  • sin of the flesh
  • bodily sin
  • carnal sin
  • sins of the body
Synonyms
  • carnal sin

    specifically about physical, bodily desires; formal or religious

  • impurity

    a gentler, more general term for sexual wrongdoing in religious contexts

Antonyms
  • chastity

    the state of avoiding sexual activity considered wrong

Usage Note

Often appears in the fixed phrase sin of the flesh or sins of the body. This sense is mostly found in historical, literary, or theological contexts rather than everyday speech.

3. A personal nine-digit number given by the Canadian government to citizens and pe

3.noun
Definition

A personal nine-digit number given by the Canadian government to citizens and permanent residents, used for tax reporting, employment records, and accessing government benefits.

Example

Christopher applied for a new SIN after losing his wallet last month.

Employers in Canada must ask for your SIN when you start a new job.

required when starting a job in Canada

Common collocations
  • apply for a SIN
  • provide your SIN
  • SIN card
  • SIN number
Synonyms

Usage Note

Always written in capital letters as SIN (not lowercase). This abbreviation is specific to Canada — other countries use different terms such as Social Security Number (SSN) in the United States or National Insurance Number (NI) in the United Kingdom.

Common Mistakes

I lost my sin card.
I lost my SIN card.
Always capitalise SIN as an abbreviation.
Please enter your sin number.
Please enter your SIN.
Do not add 'number' after SIN; the N already stands for 'number.'

4. An action that most people in a community would describe as terrible, shameful,

4.nounB2
Definition

An action that most people in a community would describe as terrible, shameful, or morally unacceptable, even when no religious rule is broken.

Example

Wasting food while others go hungry is a sin, said Iker's mother.

collocation: (it) is a sin + to-infinitive / gerund

The team thought it was a sin to spend so much money on office decorations.

Common collocations
  • terrible sin
  • awful sin
  • it is a sin to
  • consider it a sin
Synonyms
  • crime

    stronger and more dramatic in informal use; can sound humorous

  • disgrace

    focuses on public shame rather than moral wrongness

Antonyms

Usage Note

Used in everyday conversation to express strong disapproval. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not require a religious framework — it reflects social or personal moral judgment.

Idioms

live in sin

idiom

To live together as a romantic couple without being married — used especially in older or religious contexts where this was considered morally wrong.

In the 1950s, a couple who lived in sin was often looked down on by their neighbours.

Her grandmother was shocked when she learned her granddaughter was living in sin.

hide a multitude of sins

idiom

To make problems, faults, or unpleasant features less noticeable by covering them with something that looks more attractive.

A loose-fitting dress can hide a multitude of sins, said the fashion blogger.

A fresh coat of paint hides a multitude of sins in an old house.

for one's sins

idiom

Used humorously to suggest that a difficult, boring, or unpleasant job is a punishment for one's faults or mistakes.

For my sins, I was chosen to organise the office Christmas party this year.

Erik ended up on the late shift, for his sins, as the newest member of the team.

be/do something for your sins

idiom

Used humorously to say that a task feels like a punishment.

Maya has to organize the files, for her sins.

For my sins, I'm teaching the evening class tonight.

cover/hide a multitude of sins

idiom

Used to say that something hides problems or makes things look better than they are.

A big rug can hide a multitude of sins on the floor.

Her cheerful smile hides a multitude of sins at work.

(as) miserable/ugly as sin

idiom

Used to emphasize that someone is very unhappy or very unattractive.

After losing his job, Brian was as miserable as sin.

That old building is as ugly as sin, but it's historic.

sin — verb

sin — abbreviation

Word family

  • sinner
    nounC2
  • sinful
    adjectiveC2
  • sinfully
    adverbC2
  • sinless
    adjectiveC2
  • sinlessness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe acts that are considered bad, but they differ in scope and domain. Sin is the only one tied specifically to religious or moral law — it implies an offence against God or a faith community (e.g., 'the sin of pride'). Crime is narrower: it refers specifically to acts forbidden by the legal system of a country, with penalties set by law (e.g., 'the crime of theft'). Offence is the broadest — it can mean a legal infraction (a traffic offence), a personal insult (take offence), or a moral wrong. Wrongdoing is a general, non-religious term for any bad or dishonest behaviour, often used in business or formal contexts ('the company was guilty of serious wrongdoing'). Transgression is the most formal; it suggests crossing a clear boundary or rule, whether legal, moral, or social. In everyday use, sin carries emotional weight that crime and offence do not — calling something a sin expresses personal moral outrage, while crime sounds more factual and legal.

sin ↗crime ↗offence ↗wrongdoingtransgression

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • commit a sin
  • confess one's sins
  • forgive a sin
  • be guilty of a sin
  • wash away one's sins

Prepositions

Etymology

Indo-EuropeanGermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word sin comes from Old English synn, meaning 'moral wrongdoing' or 'offence against God.' It is related to Old High German sunta and Gothic sunja, which trace back to an Indo-European root meaning 'to be guilty' or 'to be true.' Over time, the word has kept its religious core but has also developed informal uses for any act people strongly disapprove of. The mathematical abbreviation sin for sine has a completely separate origin — it comes from Latin sinus ('curve, fold, hollow'), which was used by Arabic mathematicians for the trigonometric concept.