ministry

[ min-uh-stree ]

See synonyms for: ministry ministries 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.

Origin of ministry

1175–1225; Middle English <Latin ministerium, equivalent to ministerminister + -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. 2023

How to use ministry in a sentence

Everything is closed, the banks, the government ministries, supermarkets, everything.
Libya: Requiem for a Revolution | Jamie Dettmer | August 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And of course one needs to convince the French Ministries of Culture and of Ecology that the application makes sense.
The Next UNESCO World Heritage Site: Burgundy’s Pinot Noir Country? | Jordan Salcito | May 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Shortly after his confession, Vision Forum Ministries closed up shop, unable to continue with the stink of sex scandal upon them.
Sex Scandal Rocks the Duggars’ Christian Patriarchy Movement | Amanda Marcotte | April 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The suspect in the case, Zachary Jordan Klundt, is the son of Twyla Klundt, a board member of Hope Pregnancy Ministries.
America’s Abortion-Free Zone Grows | Robin Marty | April 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
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 | THE DAILY BEAST

Will your Majesty be pleased to have them given a goodly number of religious, so that they may attend to their ministries.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624 | Various
Love never yet was held by arms alone, nor its mysterious ministries constrained to forms or qualities.
The love letters of Abelard and Heloise | Peter Abelard
"She ought to remember that Ministries seldom live very long," said Phineas.
The Prime Minister | Anthony Trollope
In the three years ending in 1864 there were two general elections and four Ministries.
The Canadian Dominion | Oscar D. Skelton
Mr. Carteret would find his natural level—the production of anecdote in regard to the formation of early ministries.
The Tragic Muse | Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for ministry

ministry

/ (ˈmɪnɪstrɪ) /

nounplural -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

Origin of 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

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