defrock
verb (used with object)
to deprive (a monk, priest, minister, etc.) of ecclesiastical rank, authority, and function; depose.
defrocked
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past participleof defrock.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof defrock.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
defrockverb (used with object)to deprive (a monk, priest, minister, etc.) of ecclesiastical rank, authority, and function; depose.
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.
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
McCarrick was eventually defrocked in February 2019, after an investigation by the Vatican.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2025
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
In the records at Vallombrosa Abbey, Galileo Galilei became officially listed as a defrocked priest.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
