Church of England

American  

noun

1. the established church in England, Catholic in faith and order, but incorporating many principles of the Protestant Reformation and independent of the papacy.

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Church of England British  

noun

1. the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head

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Church of England Cultural  

1. The established church (see also established church) in England. The Church of England is Protestant and is governed by bishops, with the king or queen as its official head. One of the primary results of the Reformation, it was founded in the early sixteenth century when King Henry VIII declared that he, not the pope, was the head of the Christian Church in England. The Church of England is the original church of the Anglican Communion.

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Example Sentences

The Church of England became the country's state establishment church following King Henry VIII's split from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Other challenges the new archbishop will face are more familiar for leaders of the Church of England.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

His coronation was a public show of his commitment to the Church of England and a service immersed in Christian ritual.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

Tudor Church of England Primary School, in Sudbury, Suffolk, where she taught Years 1 and 2, was closed on Monday.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Religious zealots and religious dissenters were making noise while members of the Church of England and Unitarians like the Darwins also quietly questioned their faith.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman