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Showing results for archbishop. Search instead for half bishop.
Synonyms

archbishop

American  
[ahrch-bish-uhp] / ˈɑrtʃˈbɪʃ əp /

noun

archbishops plural
  1. a bishop of the highest rank who presides over an archbishopric or archdiocese.


archbishop British  
/ ˈɑːtʃˈbɪʃəp /

noun

  1. Abbreviation: abp.   Abp.   Arch.   Archbp.  a bishop of the highest rank

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of archbishop

before 900; Middle English; Old English arcebisceop ( arce- arch- 1 + bisceop bishop ), modeled on Late Latin archiepiscopus < Greek archiepískopos; replacing Old English hēahbisceop ( see high)

Vocabulary lists containing archbishop

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:

Though his first love was always parish work, we were there for his elevations to auxiliary bishop of San Francisco, bishop of San Diego and, most recently, archbishop of Washington.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 8, 2026

But Rossetti’s comments ran afoul of his boss, the Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C., who announced Wednesday he had “removed” Rossetti from his position as an exorcist.

From Slate Jun. 8, 2026

And apart from a rabbi and a retired Catholic archbishop, almost all the 20 listed "faith leaders" who will speak are evangelical Protestants.

From Barron's May 17, 2026

Still, the archbishop is hopeful that the sparring will blow over.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 17, 2026

It was too whimsical a sighting for the archbishop to pronounce as authentic, but still.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

Patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from across the globe will take part.

From BBC Apr. 22, 2025

He and 25 other Church of England bishops and archbishops have seats in the House of Lords and can vote on legislation.

From BBC Oct. 16, 2024

The Church of England has offered to work with the government to help communities discuss the plans - something the archbishops said would be fulfilling a historic role.

From BBC Mar. 12, 2024

Francis made the unscripted comments at the end of Mass, calling up the former and current archbishops of Hong Kong, Cardinal John Tong Hon and Archbishop Stephen Chow, to flank him as he spoke.

From Reuters Sep. 3, 2023

I thought only archbishops and popes were posh enough for butlers, but vicars can obviously have them too.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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