Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

pastor

American  
[pas-ter, pah-ster] / ˈpæs tər, ˈpɑ stər /

noun

  1. a minister or priest in charge of a church.

  2. a person having spiritual care of a number of persons.

  3. Ornithology. any of various starlings, especially Sturnus roseus rosy pastor of Europe and Asia.

verb (used with object)

  1. to serve as the pastor of.

    He pastored the church here for many years.
pastor British  
/ ˈpɑːstə /

noun

  1. a clergyman or priest in charge of a congregation

  2. a person who exercises spiritual guidance over a number of people

  3. an archaic word for shepherd

  4. Also called: rosy pastor.  a S Asian starling, Sturnus roseus, having glossy black head and wings and a pale pink body

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pastor Cultural  

  1. In some groups of Christians (see also Christian), the clergyman in charge of an individual congregation. The term is used this way in the Lutheran Church and Roman Catholic Church and, to a lesser extent, by Baptists and in the Protestant Episcopal Church.

Other Word Forms

  • pastorless adjective
  • pastorlike adjective
  • pastorly adjective
  • pastorship noun
  • subpastor noun

Etymology

Origin of pastor

1325–75; < Latin pāstor shepherd, literally, feeder, equivalent to pās-, base of pāscere to put to pasture, feed + -tor -tor; replacing Middle English pastour < Anglo-French

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The arrest of pastor Ezra Jin has drawn criticism from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and members of Congress.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Jackson Lahmeyer, an evangelical pastor in Owasso, Oklahoma, is one of those religious figures who seems to enjoy being offensive.

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2026

If he and his wife, a fellow pastor at the church, didn’t take the girls in, they would have to go into foster care.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

“The return of chicken al pastor was the primary traffic driver, followed by successful promotions and digital growth,” the Mizuho analysts wrote.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

The pastor did not say what the worse was, and Mama pressed her lips into a pale pink line at the pastor’s words.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.