pontificate
noun
the office or term of office of a pontiff.
pontificates
-
present tense formof pontificate (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
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.
With his 10 years as pontiff, Francis has now reigned longer than the 7.5 years average length of the previous 265 pontificates.
From Reuters ● Mar. 13, 2023
It was enlarged over succeeding pontificates to its present size, which is now bigger than Vatican City itself.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 3, 2023
Its period of maximal influence, the late 1960s and 1970s, had been an era of institutional crisis for the church, which gave way to the conservative pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2021
Alas, while the singer pontificates, the poet is consigned to paraphrase; Énard has sidelined the very real and interesting Mesihi, and the novel suffers for it.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 19, 2018
Like a preacher, he pontificates his own peculiar brand of wisdom.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
