ordain
Americanverb (used with object)
-
ordains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ordained,
past participle, past
-
ordaining
present participle
-
to invest with ministerial, priestly, or rabbinical functions.
-
to enact or establish by law, edict, etc..
to ordain a new type of government.
-
to decree; give orders for.
He ordained that the restrictions were to be lifted.
-
(of God, fate, etc.) to destine or predestine.
Fate had ordained the meeting.
- Synonyms:
- predetermine
verb (used without object)
-
ordains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ordained,
past participle, past
-
ordaining
present participle
-
to order or command.
Thus do the gods ordain.
-
to select for or appoint to an office.
-
to invest someone with sacerdotal functions.
verb
-
to consecrate (someone) as a priest; confer holy orders upon
-
(may take a clause as object) to decree, appoint, or predestine irrevocably
-
(may take a clause as object) to order, establish, or enact with authority
-
obsolete to select for an office
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
ordainernoun
-
ordainmentnoun
-
self-ordainernoun
-
reordainverb (used with object)
-
superordainverb (used without object)
-
ordainableadjective
-
unordainableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ordainsimple
-
ordainssimple
-
have ordainedperfect
-
has ordainedperfect
-
am ordainingprogressive
-
are ordainingprogressive
-
is ordainingprogressive
-
have been ordainingperfect progressive
-
has been ordainingperfect progressive
Past
-
ordainedsimple
-
had ordainedperfect
-
was ordainingprogressive
-
were ordainingprogressive
-
had been ordainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ordain
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ordeinen, from Old French ordener, from Latin ordināre “to order, arrange, appoint”; see ordination
Explanation
To ordain is to make someone a minister, priest, monk, or other member of the clergy. In the Catholic church, for example, a bishop ordains new priests. When you say that people have been ordained, you usually mean that they've been invested with special religion-related powers. In many Buddhist traditions, senior monks ordain new monks and, increasingly, female monks (or nuns) as well. Occasionally, this chiefly religious verb is used to mean "officially declare" or "decree" in a secular matter, as when a court ordains desegregation.
Vocabulary lists containing ordain
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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!
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)
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!
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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:
But first they would ordain, for a time, as a Buddhist monk and nun.
From New York Times ● Dec. 13, 2023
It happened in the wake of Saddleback’s determination as an autonomous local church to ordain female ministers — not as senior pastors of the church, but as associate ministers of the church.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2023
It also acknowledged the need to train more Afaan Oromo speaking priests and agreed to ordain more ethnic Oromos among high ranking clergy, it said in a statement.
From Reuters ● Feb. 16, 2023
They used to make a living by having Kwanmueang take part in ceremonies to ordain new monks, or dress up as a war elephant for re-enacting historic battles.
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2023
Having had their final test the evening before, there was nothing left but to ordain them.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
For now, the government seems confident that experts can indeed devise a safe, rigorous and consistent system for deciding which patients live and which ones die, as the statute ordains.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2021
Some are even considering leaving the Catholic Church to join other communities, including a movement that ordains women priests.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 7, 2021
It also suggested that future appointments might be influenced by a bishop's views on women clergy, saying that "many dioceses will want to insist that their diocesan bishop should be someone who ordains women".
From Reuters ● May 24, 2013
Her writing has always been hostile to the idea of a primitive, “natural” womanhood that ordains us to behave in certain ways.
From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2012
I bent above each one, and gently said: ‘Wake from your sleep: no more sweet slumber. Come, we sail: the Lady Kirke so ordains it.’
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
The Chosen Ones Espenson cites are part of a destiny ordained either by their bloodline or some greater lineage.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
On Tuesday, the San Diego County district attorney’s office announced its decision to pursue capital punishment against Leticia McCormack, who was an ordained elder and youth minister at a San Diego church.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The last time the Society ordained new bishops, in 1988, they were immediately excommunicated.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
A graduate of the Congregationalist Yale College, Ogilvie was ordained in England and served as an Anglican missionary in Virginia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
One thing is certain: He’s not an ordained scythe.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
But ordaining bishops without the Pope's consent is regarded as a serious violation of the unity of the Church.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
In 1988, Pope John Paul II issued a similar appeal to that of Pope Leo but failed to stop the society from ordaining bishops.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
In 1787-91, Americans dramatically strengthened their union by ordaining a new-minted document, the Constitution, which repeatedly referred to American citizenship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2025
And finally, in 1787, one of the declared objects for ordaining and establishing the ”Constitution” was "to form a more perfect Union."
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2023
Here is Lincoln, a vivid plenitude in living unison of timeless quietness and harmony, ordaining freely his own law of even heed for self and brother man, for God and spirit life.
From Abraham Lincoln's Cardinal Traits; A Study in Ethics, with an Epilogue Addressed to Theologians by Clark S. Beardslee
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.
