ministry

American  

[min-uh-stree] / ˈmɪn ə stri /

noun

• ministries
  plural

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

2. the body or class of ministers of religion; clergy.

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

4. the body of ministers of state.

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

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

7. the term of office of a minister of state.

8. an act or instance of ministering; ministration; service.

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

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ministry British  

/ ˈmɪnɪstrɪ /

noun

1. 1. the profession or duties of a minister of religion

   2. the performance of these duties

2. ministers of religion or government ministers considered collectively

3. the tenure of a minister

4. 1. a government department headed by a minister

   2. the buildings of such a department

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preministry
  noun
• pseudoministry
  noun
• underministry
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ministries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ministry

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Latin ministerium, from minister minister + -ium -ium

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Explanation

If you are discussing the duties of your minister or rabbi, you are talking about his or her ministry — the work the religious leader does in serving a congregation. The noun ministry also refers to a group of clergy. Even if you do not lead a religious community, you can still have a ministry, as the word means to provide information or services about an organization or cause. The charity can have a ministry to serve homeless people. The noun ministry can also refer to a government department. In the United Kingdom, for example, the Ministry of Defense oversees the armed forces. A ministry can also be the building where this sort of government work occurs.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ministry ministries

The test of several missiles on Wednesday morning, reported by South Korea’s defense ministry, followed tests of cluster munitions and submarine-launched cruise missiles in recent weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Qatar's foreign ministry said it categorically denied the allegation.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

"The foreign ministry is now working with the National Police Agency and other agencies to determine how the information was leaked," he said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

The move comes barely a week after Rwanda's defence ministry was hit with sanctions by US Treasury for its alleged role in the armed rebellion in eastern DR Congo.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

“I can’t. I’m also in dance ministry, and we have a performance. We’ve been practicing for weeks. Ma already hemmed my costume and everything.”

From "Monday's Not Coming" by Tiffany D. Jackson

The goal: sustain their ministries while easing housing shortages.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The BBC has contacted their foreign ministries for comment.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

"Appropriate measures must be taken by the relevant ministries and agencies to protect schoolchildren and students, including senior citizens and patients with respiratory illnesses," King Sultan Ibrahim said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

White House spokesman Rogers told me “the Venezuelan ministries that have power to grant concessions were the ones that lawfully granted these concessions” to NABEP.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

He began lobbying officials there to include the various second-line antibiotics on their list of “essential drugs”—a list that the ministries followed and allocated money for in their budgets.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

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Related Words

• bureau
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