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• Pontius Pilate
  Pontius Pilate

  noun

  flourished early 1st century a.d., Roman procurator of Judea a.d. 26–36?: the final authority concerned in the condemnation and execution of Jesus Christ.
• Pilate, Pontius
  Pilate, Pontius

  The governor of the Jews (see also Jews) at the time of the Crucifixion of Jesus; he was an official of the Roman Empire, to which the Jewish nation belonged at that time. According to the Gospels, Pilate did not consider Jesus guilty and wanted to release him. Under pressure from the crowds in Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem), however, Pilate sentenced Jesus to death on the cross, having first washed his hands to indicate his lack of responsibility for Jesus' fate.

Pontius Pilate

American  

[pon-shuhs pahy-luht, -tee-uhs] / ˈpɒn ʃəs ˈpaɪ lət, -ti əs /

noun

1. flourished early 1st century a.d., Roman procurator of Judea a.d. 26–36?: the final authority concerned in the condemnation and execution of Jesus Christ.

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Pontius Pilate British  

/ ˈpɒntɪəs ˈpaɪlət, ˈpɒnʃəs- /

noun

1. See Pilate

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Pilate, Pontius Cultural  

1. The governor of the Jews (see also Jews) at the time of the Crucifixion of Jesus; he was an official of the Roman Empire, to which the Jewish nation belonged at that time. According to the Gospels, Pilate did not consider Jesus guilty and wanted to release him. Under pressure from the crowds in Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem), however, Pilate sentenced Jesus to death on the cross, having first washed his hands to indicate his lack of responsibility for Jesus' fate.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Pontius Pilate Pilate, Pontius

"He cannot do a Pontius Pilate and maintain he cannot interfere because policing is devolved."

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2025

He told Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be fighting.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025

Raúl Esparza, whom I can still hear singing “Being Alive” from the 2006 Broadway revival of “Company,” played Pontius Pilate with lip-smacking villainy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2025

By stark contrast, his persecutors, led by King Herod and Pontius Pilate, wear severe white, floor-length robes and black coats.

From New York Times ● Jan. 22, 2024

Pontius Pilate stepped between Hortensius and myself, and waving his hand with great dignity and grace, requested silence.

From In Both Worlds by William Henry Holcombe

A matter of prudence, according to theological Utilitarianism, 16 Pilate, Pontius, story of his desire to enrol Christ among the Roman gods, i.

From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 2 of 2) by William Edward Hartpole Lecky