ministry

[ min-uh-stree ]

/ ˈmɪn ə stri /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ministry ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural min·is·tries.

the service, functions, or profession of a minister of religion.

the body or class of ministers of religion; clergy.

the service, function, or office of a minister of state.

the body of ministers of state.

(usually initial capital letter) any of the administrative governmental departments of certain countries usually under the direction of a minister of state.

(usually initial capital letter) the building that houses such an administrative department.

the term of office of a minister of state.

an act or instance of ministering; ministration; service.

something that serves as an agency, instrument, or means.

Words nearby ministry

ministerium, ministrant, ministrate, ministration, ministroke, ministry, minisub, minitower, minitrack, minium, minivacuum

Origin of ministry

1175–1225; Middle English < Latin ministerium, equivalent to minister minister + -ium -ium

OTHER WORDS FROM ministry

pre·min·is·try, noun, plural pre·min·is·tries.pseu·do·min·is·try, noun, plural pseu·do·min·is·tries.un·der·min·is·try, noun, plural un·der·min·is·tries.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ministries

Obama also said, “I love the ministries that are taking place here at Saddleback.”
Hillary, ‘The Family,’ and Uganda’s Anti-Gay Christian Mafia|Sally Kohn|February 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They were the bureaucracy—they had run the ministries, the universities.
Out of the Ruins of the Second World War|Lucas Wittmann|October 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That means that the kind of ministries we take on are flexible depending on the needs of society.
A Prominent Jesuit Talks About the Order’s First Pope|Abby Haglage|March 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The need to balance so many competing demands left no ministries for Kadima; it was deemed unnecessary.
Who Got What In Israel's Coalition|Brent E. Sasley|March 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

This does not include funding for ministries and rabbinic offices they've controlled.
How Yair Lapid's Gambit Ends|Bernard Avishai|March 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The extent of the ministries' authority over trusts is not clear.
Area Handbook for Bulgaria|Eugene K. Keefe, Violeta D. Baluyut, William Giloane, Anne K. Long, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
Here we have our place to fill, our relations to sustain, our part to play, our ministries to perform.
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Philippians|Robert Rainy
The number of members in the ministries of England and Germany varies.
Our Government: Local, State, and National: Idaho Edition|J.A. James
Ministries tended at times to develop a spirit of independence.
Government in Republican China|Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger
Some of the Ministries lasted only six weeks, and very few protracted their existence to a year.
History of Australia and New Zealand|Alexander Sutherland

British Dictionary definitions for ministries

ministry

/ (ˈmɪnɪstrɪ) /

noun plural -tries

the profession or duties of a minister of religion
the performance of these duties

ministers of religion or government ministers considered collectively

the tenure of a minister

a government department headed by a minister
the buildings of such a department

Word Origin for ministry

C14: from Latin ministerium service, from minister servant; see minister

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

ministry

noun, plural min·is·tries.

Content related to ministry

Words related to ministry

Words nearby ministry

Origin of ministry

OTHER WORDS FROM ministry

Examples from the Web for ministries

British Dictionary definitions for ministries

noun plural -tries

Word Origin for ministry