temple

temple — noun

1. a building used by people of certain religions — such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and

1.nounB1
Definition

a building used by people of certain religions — such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism — for worship, prayer, and ceremonies.

Example

Rohan lit incense at the small temple near his home every morning.

temple + at + location (specific place)

Noa showed the visitors around the temple and explained its history.

Common collocations
  • temple complex
  • temple festival
  • temple priest
  • visit a temple
  • build a temple
  • ancient temple
  • Hindu temple
  • Buddhist temple
Synonyms
  • shrine

    a smaller, more specific holy place, often focused on a particular saint or deity, not a full building for regular worship

  • sanctuary

    the holiest inner part of a temple or church; also used more broadly for any sacred space

  • place of worship

    a general, neutral term covering all religions; less specific and less common in everyday speech

Grammar Patterns

temple + of + [religion/deity]

temple + location preposition: at/in/on

Usage Note

Often capitalized (the Temple) when referring to the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. For Christian places of worship, 'church' is the usual term, not 'temple' — except for Latter-day Saints (Mormon) temples.

Common Mistakes

We went to the temple on Sunday' (when you mean a Christian church).
We went to church on Sunday.
In English, 'temple' is not the usual word for a Christian place of worship; use 'church' instead.

2. the part of the head between the eye and the ear, on both the left and right sid

2.nounB2
Definition

the part of the head between the eye and the ear, on both the left and right sides — pressing here often lets you feel a heartbeat.

Example

Bao rubbed his temples gently after staring at the computer screen for hours.

rub + [possessive] + temple(s) — common action for headache/eye strain

The doctor pressed lightly on Lucía's temple to check for swelling.

Common collocations
  • temple region
  • temple area
  • rub one's temples
  • massage one's temples
  • grey at the temples
  • temple pain

Grammar Patterns

temple + verb (ache, throb, pulse)

at/in the temple (region)

rub/press + [possessive] + temple(s)

Usage Note

Almost always appears in plural ('temples') when referring to both sides. Singular is used when specifying left or right temple.

Common Mistakes

He pressed on his temple bone area.
He pressed on his temple.
'Temple' already refers to the specific area; adding 'bone area' is redundant.

3. a place that is treated as sacred or is devoted to a particular activity, belief

3.nounC1
Definition

a place that is treated as sacred or is devoted to a particular activity, belief, or ideal — often used in a figurative sense, for example calling a library 'a temple of learning' or a gym 'a temple of fitness'.

Example

The old library was a temple of learning where scholars gathered from across the country.

a temple of + [abstract quality] — figurative metaphor

Rachid called his workshop a temple of creativity, filled with tools and half-finished art.

Common collocations
  • temple of learning
  • temple of art
  • temple of sport
  • temple of peace
  • temple of music
Synonyms
  • sanctuary

    focuses more on protection and refuge than on devotion to an activity

  • shrine

    suggests a smaller, more personal place of devotion, often with emotional attachment

  • haven

    emphasises safety and refuge rather than devotion to an ideal

Grammar Patterns

a temple of + [abstract quality]

temple to + [activity/ideal]

Usage Note

This sense is always figurative and strongly tied to the noun that follows 'of' (learning, sport, art, music, etc.). It is rarely used in casual conversation and appears more often in descriptive or literary writing.

Idioms

Temple (as a place or person name)

idiom

a city in Texas, USA, or a surname of several notable people, including Shirley Temple (American actress and diplomat), Sir William Temple (British statesman), and two Archbishops of Canterbury (Frederick and William Temple).

Shirley Temple was one of the most famous child actors in Hollywood history.

Word family

  • templed
    adjectiveC2
  • templar
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Temple refers to a building for religious worship, most commonly used for non-Christian religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism. Shrine is smaller and more specific — it may be a dedicated spot within a temple or a small roadside structure focused on a particular saint or deity. Sanctuary originally meant the holiest part of a temple or church, but is now also used broadly for any place of safety or refuge. Church is the standard word for Christian places of worship, while mosque is used for Islam and synagogue for Judaism. Using 'temple' for a Christian building would sound unusual to most English speakers, except when referring to Latter-day Saints (Mormon) temples. For example: 'We visited a Hindu temple in the morning and a Buddhist shrine in the afternoon.'

temple ↗shrine ↗sanctuary ↗church ↗mosque ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • place of worship
  • house of prayer
  • sacred space

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'temple' comes from Latin 'templum', which originally meant a sacred space marked out by a priest for taking auspices (interpreting omens). It entered Old English through French as 'tempel'. The body-part sense (temple of the head) comes from a different Latin word, 'tempus' (plural 'tempora'), meaning 'the right time or critical place' — possibly because the temple is a vulnerable spot where a blow can be fatal, or because it is where grey hair first appears, signalling the passage of time. The two meanings converged in English, sharing the same spelling by the Middle English period.