minister
Americannoun
-
ministers
plural
-
a person authorized to conduct religious worship; member of the clergy; pastor.
-
a person authorized to administer sacraments, as at Mass.
-
a person appointed by or under the authority of a sovereign or head of a government to some high office of state, especially to that of head of an administrative department.
the minister of finance.
-
a diplomatic representative accredited by one government to another and ranking next below an ambassador.
-
a person acting as the agent or instrument of another.
verb (used with object)
-
ministers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ministered,
past participle, past
-
ministering
present participle
-
to administer or apply.
to minister the last rites.
-
Archaic. to furnish; supply.
verb (used without object)
-
ministers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ministered,
past participle, past
-
ministering
present participle
noun
-
(esp in Presbyterian and some Nonconformist Churches) a member of the clergy
-
a person appointed to head a government department
-
any diplomatic agent accredited to a foreign government or head of state
-
short for minister plenipotentiary or envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary See envoy 1
-
Also called (in full): minister resident. a diplomat ranking after an envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary
-
a person who attends to the needs of others, esp in religious matters
-
a person who acts as the agent or servant of a person or thing
verb
-
to attend to the needs (of); take care (of)
-
archaic (tr) to provide; supply
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
ministershipnoun
-
subministernoun
-
underministernoun
-
preministerverb (used without object)
-
unministeredadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ministersimple
-
ministerssimple
-
have ministeredperfect
-
has ministeredperfect
-
am ministeringprogressive
-
are ministeringprogressive
-
is ministeringprogressive
-
have been ministeringperfect progressive
-
has been ministeringperfect progressive
Past
-
ministeredsimple
-
had ministeredperfect
-
was ministeringprogressive
-
were ministeringprogressive
-
had been ministeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of minister
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the noun) Middle English minister, ministre, from Old French ministre, from Latin minister “servant,” from minus “less” (adverb form of minor minor ) + -ter, noun suffix; (for the verb) Middle English ministren, from Old French ministrer, from Latin ministrāre “to act as a servant, attend,” derivative of minister; cf. master ( def. )
Explanation
You might meet a minister of the religious kind — a pastor or a rector. Or, you may meet a minister of the government kind — a prime minister or a minister of finance, for example. You don't have to be religious to minister. When you minister to someone, you take care of them. All of these meanings of minister — both as a noun and as a verb — contain a grain of the original Latin meaning, "servant." A minister in a church serves his or her flock, and a prime minister serves his or her country.
Vocabulary lists containing minister
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act V
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Monroe Doctrine (1823)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Ronald Reagan, "Tear Down This Wall" (1987)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Norway’s minister of digitalization said implementing the ban could be complicated due to European regulations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Former environment minister Lefter Koka was jailed for receiving 3.7 million euros in kickbacks in the case.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
A different source said it was "clumsy", while another said they were surprised that the prime minister had "misspoken".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
At a ceremony on Monday marking the Jewish calendar's anniversary of the attack, the prime minister said Israel had killed 4,000 out of the 6,000 Palestinians who infiltrated Israel from Gaza that day.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Whereas Jackson tended toward a more volatile and pulpit-thumping style reminiscent of an itinerant Presbyterian minister in the revivalistic mode, Smith preferred the more measured cadences of the South Carolina aristocrat steeped in Ciceronian formalities.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
He was direct, and almost brazen and unapologetic, when it came to criticising ministers and their policies and that too quite publicly.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
That same evening, President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and other key ministers to find a way out of the crisis.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
That is precisely what happened to France’s previous two prime ministers when they attempted to introduce spending cuts in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Asked why OpenAI had not directly contacted government ministers immediately after it found out about the breaches, Kwon acknowledged it was a mistake.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
“Fred Shuttlesworth,” one of the ministers said, “you’re going to get all of us killed!”
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
Powe’s relatives belonged to the Knights, named for a 17th century Spanish Jesuit who ministered to enslaved people in Colombia and is the country’s patron saint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2025
Rev MacKenzie ministered the late Queen in her final days and supported the royal family following her death.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2024
In 2016, Francis canonized Argentina’s first saint: José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, a poncho-wearing, mate-sipping “gaucho priest” who ministered in the Argentine peripheries, and was in many ways a 19th-century version of Francis himself.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
I was sick all day Sunday, ministered to by my girlfriend, who fed me chicken soup and bathed my head with wet washcloths.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2023
There, as they began to die of beriberi, diphtheria, smallpox, cholera, and torture, Duckworth ministered to them as chaplain even as he worked side by side with them.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Describing her experience ministering as a person of colour, Rev Eileen Cremin said it was "overall positive".
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2026
Bedraggled and bleeding, he opens his eyes to find Anna ministering to him and is rhapsodically smitten.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2025
My recent employment has been as a hospice chaplain, ministering to dying people and their families.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2024
The commission cited Lin’s work ministering to fellow prisoners and translating the Bible into Chinese.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2024
He read books, even though we didn’t have two pennies to rub together, ministering to the poor miners.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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.
