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

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

Those involved in forced adoptions say they appreciate that the Church of England is now reaching out to them.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The Church of England will be the latest institution to issue an apology for its role in forced adoptions.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

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

When they did, they usually left behind their Calvinist denominations and became members of the elite church linked to the state Church of England.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz