pastor
Americannoun
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a minister or priest in charge of a church.
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a person having spiritual care of a number of persons.
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Ornithology. any of various starlings, especially Sturnus roseus rosy pastor of Europe and Asia.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a clergyman or priest in charge of a congregation
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a person who exercises spiritual guidance over a number of people
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an archaic word for shepherd
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Also called: rosy pastor. a S Asian starling, Sturnus roseus, having glossy black head and wings and a pale pink body
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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
Explanation
A pastor is someone with the authority to lead religious services. Pastors lead church services and help others worship. Pastor is a religious title used mostly in Christian churches. The pastor is a leader within a church who has been ordained and therefore given the authority to conduct religious services. The pastor leads Sunday mass and other types of rituals, such as funerals. Members of the congregation may seek a pastor for advice. Within a religious community, a pastor is someone respected very much.
Vocabulary lists containing pastor
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"The Red Shoes" by Hans Christian Andersen
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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.
Trump added Friday that Xi promised "He's going to strongly consider the pastor," referring to Jin Mingri, the founder of a prominent Chinese underground church detained in October in a sweeping national crackdown.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
Jones, a pastor, said that even as he adjusted to transfers, he worried about the moral implications: “It doesn’t teach them the mindset to persevere. And so when they get to be adults, will they?”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
The pastor there, Movses Janbazian, told the BBC that he still remembers Allen.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
The only thing that vaguely approached an act of lèse-majesté against the head of the House of Windsor was the attendance of Mark Collins, the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Yorktown, Texas.
From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026
Mrs. behaved herself, although I caught her shaking her head woefully when the pastor called Big Ma Mrs. Elijah Lucas and not Ophelia Lucas.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
