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In ancient Greek, pentekoste meant "fiftieth day"—that is, the fiftieth day after Easter (counting Easter itself). On that day, Christians celebrate an event described in the Bible that took place fifty days after Christ's resurrection, when the apostles heard the rush of a mighty wind, saw tongues of fire descending on them, and heard the Holy Spirit speaking from their own mouths but in other tongues (languages). "Speaking in tongues", when everyone in a congregation may begin talking in languages that no one can understand, is the best-known practice of Pentecostals. Pentecostals belong to many different denominations; with growing numbers especially in Latin America and Africa, there may be over 500 million Pentecostals worldwide.
Examples of Pentecostal in a Sentence
Sam Kestenbaum, Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024
Starting by playing in the band for his Pentecostal church, his musical influences expanded to include the likes of Lyle Lovett and Townes Van Zandt.
—Sid Evans, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2024
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2024
Turning Point Pentecostal Church in Ohio posted on Facebook that Mejia was on a mission trip when the fall occurred.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for Pentecostal 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Pentecostal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Pentecostal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pentecostal. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
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