- a holy table in a church or temple
- the high altar (= the most important one in a particular church)
Extra ExamplesTopics Religion and festivalsc2- He placed the candles on the altar.
- Helen and Tony kneeled at the altar.
- The bride approached the altar.
- an altar dedicated to Saint John
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- high
- main
- makeshift
- …
- approach
- go up to
- face
- …
- boy
- cloth
- frontal
- …
- at an/the altar
- before an/the altar
- on an/the altar
- …
Word OriginOld English altar, alter, based on late Latin altar, altarium, from Latin altus ‘high’.Definitions on the go
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Idioms
See altar in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryat/on the altar of something
- (formal) because of something that you think is worth suffering for
- He was willing to sacrifice his happiness on the altar of fame.
Check pronunciation:
altar