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• pope
  pope

  noun

  the bishop of Rome as head of the Roman Catholic Church.
• Pope
  Pope

  noun

  Alexander, 1688–1744, English poet.
• Popé
  Popé

  noun

  died 1690?, Pueblo medicine man: led rebellion against the Spanish 1680.

pope

¹ American  

[pohp] / poʊp /

noun

• popes
  plural

1. (often initial capital letter) the bishop of Rome as head of the Roman Catholic Church.

2. (in the early Christian church) a bishop.

3. a person considered as having or assuming authority or a position similar to that of the Roman Catholic pope.

4. the title of the Coptic patriarch of Alexandria.

5. Eastern Church.

   1. the Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria.

   2. (in certain churches) a parish priest.

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Pope ² American  

[pohp] / poʊp /

noun

1. Alexander, 1688–1744, English poet.

2. John, 1822–92, Union general in the U.S. Civil War.

3. John Russell, 1874–1937, U.S. architect.

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Popé ³ American  

[poh-pey] / poʊˈpeɪ /

noun

1. died 1690?, Pueblo medicine man: led rebellion against the Spanish 1680.

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pope ¹ British  

/ pəʊp /

noun

1. another name for ruffe

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Pope ² British  

/ pəʊp /

noun

1. Alexander. 1688–1744, English poet, regarded as the most brilliant satirist of the Augustan period, esp with his Imitations of Horace (1733–38). His technical virtuosity is most evident in The Rape of the Lock (1712–14). Other works include The Dunciad (1728; 1742), the Moral Essays (1731–35), and An Essay on Man (1733–34)

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pope ³ British  

/ pəʊp /

noun

1. (often capital) the bishop of Rome as head of the Roman Catholic Church

2. Eastern Orthodox Church

   1. a title sometimes given to a parish priest

   2. a title sometimes given to the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria

3. a person assuming or having a status or authority resembling that of a pope

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pope Cultural  

1. The head of the Roman Catholic Church. The pope is believed by his church to be the successor to the Apostle Peter. He is bishop of Rome and lives in a tiny nation within Rome called the Vatican. Catholics believe that when the pope speaks officially on matters of faith and morals, he speaks infallibly (see papal infallibility). (See also John XXIII and John Paul II.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• popeless
  adjective
• popelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• popes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pope

before 900; Middle English; Old English pāpa < Late Latin: bishop, pope < Late Greek pápas bishop, priest, variant of páppas father; see papa

Explanation

A pope is the head of the Catholic Church. The official title of a pope is the bishop of Rome. When you refer to a specific pope, the word is capitalized, as in Pope Francis. Each pope is considered to be a successor to the Biblical apostle Saint Peter, and each is elected by a group of Catholic cardinals to be the highest religious authority. Pope is from the Old English papa and derives from the Greek papas, which means "patriarch, bishop, or father."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pope Pope Popé popes

Tegmark, whose appeal to the pope preceded Leo XIV’s warning that AI risked enshrining an “anti-human vision,” said he has been texting with AI company leaders over the past week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

In San Marino, the world's oldest republic, the Chicago-born pope is to meet with local authorities before holding a prayer service in the local basilica.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

On the outbound journey, the pope walks down the plane, greeting the journalists individually.

From Barron's

"But I would be very surprised if he took a confrontational stance," Dumont said, suggesting the pope could instead highlight the need to care for the elderly and vulnerable.

From Barron's

Sometime between 1534 and 1549 Jean Taisnier, a musician and mathematician, remarked that Aristotle was sometimes mistaken; he was challenged by a representative of the pope to produce a convincing example of Aristotle being wrong.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

She also traveled across Europe, meeting with several European leaders as well as with Pope Leo, who gave her the reception and high-level access usually afforded to a head of state.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

While she was recovering at home afterwards, she received a surprise visit from Pope Francis.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Sam Pope, who works there, says Lhamo is an inspiration.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

“I doubt whether even Pope himself could be so convincingly Pope-like aged 13,” he writes, in a comment typical of his generous wit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

"Yes, it's me, disguised as a serving maid. Good day, Mr. Pope," she added, not very cordially.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

So Popé sent long-distance runners hundreds of miles to Pueblos around the province with knotted cords of what is thought to be yucca or perhaps strips of deer hide.

From New York Times ● Sep. 27, 2020

Pueblo Indians mounted one rebellion after another, as did Indigenous peoples elsewhere in Spanish-occupied lands, but it took a visionary shaman named Popé to orchestrate the mother of all revolts.

From New York Times ● Sep. 27, 2020

One of these, a young man named Popé, struck back by organizing a rebellion in the summer of 1680, soon after Bacon’s Rebellion and Metacom’s War in the far-distant English colonies.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018

Pueblo leader Popé demanded a return to native ways so the hardships his people faced would end.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 30, 2014

Thirty-four Pueblo towns were in the revolt, under the lead of a dangerous Tehua Indian named Popé.

From The Spanish Pioneers by Charles F. Lummis

He has created liturgical garments for the last three popes -- Benedict XVI, Francis, and now the Chicago-born Leo.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

During the 1060s, Western Christendom was split by a major dispute in which two rival popes claimed authority.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

He reported from Algeria, Vietnam and China, but is best known for his time in Rome as the BBC's Vatican correspondent, where he covered the papacies of five popes.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Raoni, chief of the Kayapo people, has traveled around the world for decades to advocate for the Amazon rainforest and traditional Indigenous communities, lobbying heads of state, monarchs and popes.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

The brevity of the reigns of the popes was the cause.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Related Words

• pontiff