archbishop
Americannoun
-
archbishops
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of archbishop
before 900; Middle English; Old English arcebisceop ( arce- arch- 1 + bisceop bishop ), modeled on Late Latin archiepiscopus < Greek archiepískopos; replacing Old English hēahbisceop ( see high)
Vocabulary lists containing archbishop
Medieval Europe - Middle School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Medieval Europe - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
See Examples For:
Though his first love was always parish work, we were there for his elevations to auxiliary bishop of San Francisco, bishop of San Diego and, most recently, archbishop of Washington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
But Rossetti’s comments ran afoul of his boss, the Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C., who announced Wednesday he had “removed” Rossetti from his position as an exorcist.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
Still, the archbishop is hopeful that the sparring will blow over.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
In a meeting earlier this month in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, conservative clergy gathered to select their own leader to follow instead of Dame Sarah, the Rwandan archbishop Laurent Mbanda.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
But the archbishop of the church in South Africa, anxious to keep children out of the streets, handed over the rest of the schools to the government.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
They will take their seats alongside around 700 existing life peers, who are appointed to the role, and 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
Theoretically, any baptised man can be elected as pope, but a cardinal, all of whom are serving archbishops ordained by a pontiff, is usually picked.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2025
By 08:30, archbishops and bishops will gather in the Constantine Wing, adjacent to the basilica, wearing liturgical clothes including simple white miter.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025
This led Mrs Pailing and other senior cathedral staff to write to the archbishops of Canterbury and York expressing their “profound concern” and asking them to intervene.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2024
I thought only archbishops and popes were posh enough for butlers, but vicars can obviously have them too.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
