chaplain
Americannoun
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chaplains
plural
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an ecclesiastic attached to the chapel of a royal court, college, etc., or to a military unit.
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a person who says the prayer, invocation, etc., for an organization or at an assembly.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chaplain
before 1100; Middle English chapelain < Middle French < Late Latin cappellānus custodian of St. Martin's cloak ( see chapel, -an); replacing Old English capellan < Late Latin, as above
Explanation
A chaplain is usually a religious leader — a minister, rabbi, or other clergy member — who works outside of a church or temple. You can use the word chaplain to describe the minister who counsels patients at your local hospital. Or, a chaplain could also be a priest who lives and works with soldiers on a battlefield (a military chaplain). These days, many chaplains are non-denominational, not associated with any particular religion. The Latin root word, cappellanus, means "clergyman."
Vocabulary lists containing chaplain
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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:
A chaplain read the names of Michiganders killed in the attacks.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Timothy James Curry was born April 19, 1946, to father Jim Curry, a Navy chaplain, and mother Maura Curry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
In the final moments of the Oryoku Maru, an American military chaplain saw the lifeless body of a Maj.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The Quaker chaplain usually posts about religion on social media, but said people would comment on her posts describing her as the Labour leader's doppelgänger.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The coast was clear, and the chaplain jumped out of Major Major’s office through the window, darted swiftly around the comer of the tent, and leaped down inside the railroad ditch to hide.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
According to the Navy, aboard the Lincoln were one clinical psychologist, one clinical social worker and three behavioral health technicians as well as a counselor and five Navy chaplains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Pentagon in recent decades has welcomed a diversity of faiths, with chaplains tasked more with offering personal comfort and guidance than on blessing leaders' decisions.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
Elizabeth Diop and Adam Allen, now both former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplains, have been outspoken in their support for their former colleague.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2025
There clinicians, chaplains and as many as eight therapy dogs are available around the clock.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2025
The chaplains have been trying to reunite survivors, a fruitless effort most of the time.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
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.
