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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.

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

If this sounds more Hollywood than parish church to you, well, it appears that Cardinal Robert McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, agrees.

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

Meanwhile, Alison-Madueke's brother, former archbishop Doye Agama, 69, denies conspiracy to commit bribery.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

In the crowd, dignitaries—including the archbishop of Canterbury—cheered as Blake descended.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from across the globe will take part.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025

Bishop Snow said he was "desperately sad" to hear that Bishop Hartley feels isolated after her calls for archbishops to resign.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2025

Asked if she felt "frozen out" by other bishops and archbishops since then, she said: "Yes, I do."

From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2024

The archbishops of Canterbury and York have told the BBC they are “still working” to get Church processes right and “must learn” from past mistakes.

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

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