pastor

[ pas-ter, pah-ster ]

/ ˈpæs tər, ˈpɑ stər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for pastor on Thesaurus.com

noun

a minister or priest in charge of a church.

a person having spiritual care of a number of persons.

Ornithology. any of various starlings, especially Sturnus roseus(rosy pastor ) of Europe and Asia.

verb (used with object)

to serve as the pastor of: He pastored the church here for many years.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of pastor

1325–75; <Latin pāstor shepherd, literally, feeder, equivalent to pās-, base of pāscere to put to pasture, feed + -tor-tor; replacing Middle English pastour<Anglo-French

OTHER WORDS FROM pastor

pas·tor·less, adjectivepas·tor·like, pas·tor·ly, adjectivesub·pas·tor, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pastor

clergy, cleric, imam, minister, pastor , priest, rabbi

Words nearby pastor

past master, past mistress, pastness, Pasto, past one's prime, pastor, pastorage, pastoral, pastoral counseling, pastorale, Pastoral Epistle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pastor in a sentence

One Democrat — Raphael Warnock, the pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church — has consolidated the large majority of the Democratic vote following endorsements from Barack Obama and other prominent Democrats.
Will Georgia Turn Blue?|Nate Silver (nrsilver@fivethirtyeight.com)|October 14, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
So, yeah, that was kind of that, and talking to my pastor about faith, were kind of the last hurdles I had to get over.
Why Caitlyn Jenner Stopped Talking About Politics|Eugene Robinson|October 13, 2020|Ozy
Shemar had an Xbox but no computer, so the pastor at our church, Rob Hoch, said that it would reimburse me for buying Shemar a laptop.
The Students Left Behind by Remote Learning|by Alec MacGillis|September 28, 2020|ProPublica
When we spoke, Frailey was torn between sharing his story, which he feels could help other pastors and Christians realize they aren’t alone, and making sure he isn’t shutting the door forever on the families who have walked away from his church.
Evangelicals are looking for answers online. They’re finding QAnon instead.|Abby Ohlheiser|August 26, 2020|MIT Technology Review

As The Conversation noted in May, there are pastors who have begun bringing QAnon into their Zoom sermons.
Evangelicals are looking for answers online. They’re finding QAnon instead.|Abby Ohlheiser|August 26, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Pastor Gaylard Williams earned a good reputation among his evangelical ilk.
Exposed: The Gay-Bashing Pastor’s Same-Sex Assault|M.L. Nestel|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The pastor told sheriff deputies that he spoke with the younger man “but said nothing inappropriate.”
Exposed: The Gay-Bashing Pastor’s Same-Sex Assault|M.L. Nestel|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The victim, whom The Daily Beast is not naming, asked what Williams wanted and the pastor allegedly “reached in and grabbed him.”
Exposed: The Gay-Bashing Pastor’s Same-Sex Assault|M.L. Nestel|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I only touched his shoulder,” the pastor told sheriffs, according to the police report.
Exposed: The Gay-Bashing Pastor’s Same-Sex Assault|M.L. Nestel|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His grandfather, a pastor, had visited the church decades before—in the 1980s—when the church was popular within the community.
Beaten By His Church for Being Gay|Justin Jones|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The cow happily recovered, which the widow entirely attributed to the efficacy of her pastor's prayer.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
The Patriarch went to him, and, with the help of an interpreter, did for him what pertained to his office as a good Pastor.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
And certainly a Pastor is excusable who fails to do things of which he has no knowledge.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
And I am not troubled, following thee for my pastor, and I have not desired the day of man, thou knowest.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
"Yes, Donald; but I never told you that you should swallow them," replies the pastor, who was as witty as his parishioner.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell

British Dictionary definitions for pastor

pastor

/ (ˈpɑːstə) /

noun

a clergyman or priest in charge of a congregation

a person who exercises spiritual guidance over a number of people

an archaic word for shepherd (def. 1)

Also called: rosy pastor a S Asian starling, Sturnus roseus, having glossy black head and wings and a pale pink body

Derived forms of pastor

pastorship, noun

Word Origin for pastor

C14: from Latin: shepherd, from pascere to feed

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

Cultural definitions for pastor

pastor

In some groups of Christians (see also Christian), the clergyman in charge of an individual congregation. The term is used this way in the Lutheran Church and Roman Catholic Church and, to a lesser extent, by Baptists and in the Protestant Episcopal Church.

pastor

Origin of pastor

OTHER WORDS FROM pastor

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pastor

Words nearby pastor

Words related to pastor

How to use pastor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pastor

Derived forms of pastor

Word Origin for pastor

Cultural definitions for pastor