defrock
Americanverb (used with object)
-
defrocks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
defrocked,
past participle, past
-
defrocking
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
defrocksimple
-
defrockssimple
-
have defrockedperfect
-
has defrockedperfect
-
am defrockingprogressive
-
are defrockingprogressive
-
is defrockingprogressive
-
have been defrockingperfect progressive
-
has been defrockingperfect progressive
Past
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defrockedsimple
-
had defrockedperfect
-
was defrockingprogressive
-
were defrockingprogressive
-
had been defrockingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of defrock
First recorded in 1575–85; from French défroquer, equivalent to dé- + froque + -er infinitive suffix; see origin at dis- 1, frock
Explanation
Defrock comes from frock, an old word for "dress." Priests, nuns, monks, and other church officials wear a frock to symbolize their job. If they leave the church, they are said to be defrocked: their gown is taken away. Although it is still common to refer to defrocked priests (priests who have left the priesthood for one reason or another), the word does not have a generally-used meaning outside of the clergy. You would not refer to a "defrocked teacher" or a "defrocked coach."
Vocabulary lists containing defrock
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 3
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2014 Vocabulary Video Contest (A-L)
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The Inquisitor's Tale
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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:
Critics say the results have been mixed and have accused Francis of being reluctant to defrock abusive prelates.
From Reuters ● Mar. 25, 2023
The Vatican has been under pressure to defrock the cleric, but it has maintained he deserves a full and fair legal process.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2020
Buenanueva said he expects the church to defrock the priests.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 26, 2019
He resigned a few years later, before the church concluded proceedings to defrock him.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 4, 2019
Brennan said the reason the Vatican did not defrock Bransfield was that it would lose leverage.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 23, 2019
It later emerged Hanhn received a $265,000 payoff with ministry funds, resulting in Bakker being defrocked of his ministerial credentials and right to perform religious duties.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Father Clement Thibault, Babs’s priest-mentor since childhood, is defrocked for publicly supporting the strikers after the church hierarchy forbade him from taking sides; the priest then begins a separate campaign to expose ecclesiastical misbehavior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Baker remained in the ministry until 2000, when he was defrocked, church records show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2024
Years ago Mike McCurry – during the Clinton administration – made a point of calling on a defrocked minister who always asked questions about Bigfoot and space aliens.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2024
One is the son of a defrocked snakehandling pastor who is currently serving a prison sentence.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
They’re defrocking the Mets down to their vagabond shoes that are longing to ... oh, forget it, one shouldn’t need to crib from a corny song to describe what is happening here.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2024
Church officials said Friday they received a letter from Pope Francis confirming that Crow’s defrocking, a process known as laicization, has been completed.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2024
“It’s like the defrocking of the Wizard of Oz.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2023
After the Vatican investigation of Ricard, Pope Francis could discipline him either by sentencing him to a life of prayer and penitence in isolation or go as far as defrocking him.
From Reuters ● Nov. 11, 2022
The church courts had characteristically punished with a fine or a penance, and at most defrocking, and never imposed a death penalty, even for murder.
From Our Legal Heritage by S. A. Reilly
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.
