Vatican
Americannoun
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Also called Vatican Palace. the chief residence of the popes in Vatican City, now also including a library, archives, art museum, apartments, and administrative offices.
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the authority and government of the pope (distinguished from theQuirinal ).
noun
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the palace of the popes in Rome and their principal residence there since 1377, which includes administrative offices, a library, museum, etc, and is attached to the basilica of St Peter's
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( as modifier )
the Vatican Council
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the authority of the Pope and the papal curia
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( as modifier )
a Vatican edict
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Etymology
Origin of Vatican
1545–55; < Latin vātīcānus ( mōns ) Vatican (hill)
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.
Lee added that in a meeting at the Vatican this week he had invited Pope Leo for a visit next year, to attend World Youth Day in Seoul.
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
Almost all exorcists, at the urging of the Vatican, keep their identities secret, their role in battling the occult known only to the other priests in their diocese.
From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026
More than a million people lined the streets of Madrid on Sunday as Pope Leo XIV held an open-air mass in the Spanish capital, the Vatican said.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
A priest who has advised the Vatican on technology weighs in on AI and the role of the church.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
Behind the gate, safely within the seat of the Vatican, they let Pedro Tercero out from under a mountain of lettuce leaves and bruised tomatoes.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
