sins

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of sin.

   The sermon warned against the sins of pride and greed.

   He spent years trying to atone for his past sins.

   Note

   The plural belongs to the countable side of sin. Sins are individual acts, such as misdeeds, wrongs and flaws, that can be listed, confessed or atoned for one by one. The uncountable meaning, sinfulness or depravity as a state, takes no plural. A preacher warns against sin in the world but names the sins of a congregation.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of sin.

   He sins against his own conscience each time he cheats his customers.

   Whoever sins repeatedly without remorse gradually hardens his own heart.

   Note

   The verb behind this form is intransitive, so it takes no direct object. A person simply sins, and whatever is wronged follows against: against conscience, against a neighbor. It is spelled exactly like the plural noun, and a singular subject tells you which one you are reading. Older liturgical English gives the same form as sinneth.

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