Definition

1. Noun:

   • A transgression against divine or moral law: An act, thought, or state considered to be a deliberate violation of religious or ethical principles.
   • A serious offense or fault: A reprehensible action or a grave error in judgment.
   • (Mathematics): In a right-angled triangle, the trigonometric function equal to the ratio of the length of the side opposite a given acute angle to the length of the hypotenuse.

2. Verb:

   • To commit a sin: To act in a way that violates a religious or moral law.
   • To commit an offense or serious error: To do something wrong or make a grave mistake.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • Greed and envy are considered sins in many religions.
  • It would be a sin to waste all this good food.
  • Calculate the sine (sin) of the angle.

• Verb:

  • He believed he had sinned against God.
  • I sinned by not telling her the truth.

Advanced Usage

• "To live in sin": (idiomatic, somewhat dated) To live together as a couple without being married.

  • Her parents disapproved because they were living in sin.

• "As sin": (informal, used for emphasis) Very much, extremely (often describing a negative quality).

  • He was ugly as sin.
  • It's obvious as sin.

• "For one's sins": (humorous) Used to suggest something is a punishment or burden one must endure.

  • I'm the committee treasurer, for my sins.

Variants and Related Words

• Sinful (adj): Characterized by or involving sin; wicked.

  • She felt guilty about her sinful thoughts.

• Sinfulness (n): The state or quality of being sinful.

• Sinner (n): A person who sins.

  • The preacher called on all sinners to repent.

• Sine (n): The standard mathematical abbreviation and spelling for the trigonometric function.

Synonyms

• Transgression: An act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct.
• Wrongdoing: Illegal or dishonest behavior.
• Immorality: The state or quality of being morally wrong.
• Error: A mistake.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

• Sin against: To violate or offend (a law, person, or principle).
  • He felt he had sinned against his own conscience.

Related Idioms

• "Like sin": (informal) With great intensity or force.

  • It's raining like sin out there.

• "As miserable/ugly/plain as sin": Extremely miserable, ugly, or plain.

  • The old house was as ugly as sin.

• "To cover/hide a multitude of sins": To make faults or imperfections less noticeable.

  • A fresh coat of paint can cover a multitude of sins in an old room.

• "More sinned against than sinning": Deserving pity rather than blame; having suffered more wrong from others than one has committed oneself.

  • In the story, the character is portrayed as more sinned against than sinning.

Noun

1. violent and excited activity
   • they began to fight like sin
2. the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet
3. (Akkadian) god of the Moon; counterpart of Sumerian Nanna
4. ratio of the length of the side opposite the given angle to the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle
5. an act that is regarded by theologians as a transgression of God's will
6. estrangement from god

Verb

1. commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake
   • I blundered during the job interview
2. commit a sin; violate a law of God or a moral law