parish

American  

[par-ish] / ˈpær ɪʃ /

noun

• parishes
  plural

1. an ecclesiastical district having its own church and member of the clergy.

2. a local church with its field of activity.

3. (in Louisiana) a county.

4. the people of an ecclesiastical or civil parish.

5. Curling. house.

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idioms

1. on the parish,

   1. receiving charity from local authorities.

   2. Informal. meagerly or inadequately supplied.

parish British  

/ ˈpærɪʃ /

noun

1. a subdivision of a diocese, having its own church and a clergyman

2. the churchgoers of such a subdivision

3. (in England and, formerly, Wales) the smallest unit of local government in rural areas

4. (in Louisiana) a unit of local government corresponding to a county in other states of the US

5. the people living in a parish

6. history receiving parochial relief

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interparish
  adjective
• transparish
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• parishes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of parish

1250–1300; Middle English, variant of parosshe < Middle French paroisse < Late Latin parochia, alteration of paroecia < Late Greek paroikía, derivative of Greek pároikos neighbor, (in Christian usage) sojourner ( see paroicous); see -ia

Explanation

A parish is a local church community that has one main church and one pastor. Parish members do more than just attend church. They organize community activities, social events, and — very important — coffee and donuts on Sunday mornings. A parish is technically a piece of land. It’s a section of a diocese that has the right number of churchgoers to have its own church. But when you refer to a parish, you’re usually talking about more than the space itself. You're describing the people who attend the church, as well as the church property. So if someone says, "Our parish is thriving," it means there's a full congregation and enough funds to maintain the church in good condition.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

parish parishes

At times, I easily worked more than 80 hours in a week in a parish.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026

The local parish council chair Tim McNally said that the village will now be known as the "principality of Piddington".

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

The symbolic referendum on whether to leave the UK has been organised by the local parish council, with polling taking place between 07:00 and 19:00 BST.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Shannon McManus, a resident of another rural Louisiana parish with a data center in the works, told NPR that he’s all for progress, but just asks for honesty from tech giants.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

I will need a letter from the parish priest and a physical examination by my family doctor.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

The Catholic Diocese of Derry spans 51 parishes across almost all of County Londonderry, parts of County Tyrone and a very small area across the River Bann in County Antrim.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

A good example is CarePortal, which connects Catholic parishes and other churches with families in crisis, saving children from foster care.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Criticism of Trump’s attack on the pope also came from the Knights of Columbus, a nonpartisan lay Catholic organization with far-reaching influence in parishes across the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

The Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, two Catholic parishes in Colorado and two parents, Dan and Lisa Sheley, filed suit, but lost in lower courts, prompting the appeal to the Supreme Court.

From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026

Barack was the first person I’d met at Sidley who had spent time in the barbershops, barbecue joints, and Bible-thumping black parishes of the Far South Side.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• church