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archbishop

American  
[ahrch-bish-uhp] / ˈɑrtʃˈbɪʃ əp /

noun

archbishops plural
  1. a bishop of the highest rank who presides over an archbishopric or archdiocese.


archbishop British  
/ ˈɑːtʃˈbɪʃəp /

noun

  1. Abbreviation: abp.   Abp.   Arch.   Archbp.  a bishop of the highest rank

"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

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

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.

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

And apart from a rabbi and a retired Catholic archbishop, almost all the 20 listed "faith leaders" who will speak are evangelical Protestants.

From Barron's • May 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

It was too whimsical a sighting for the archbishop to pronounce as authentic, but still.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

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