priest

American  

[preest] / prist /

noun

• priests
  plural

1. a person whose office it is to perform religious rites, and especially to make sacrificial offerings.

2. (in Christian use)

   1. a person ordained to the sacerdotal or pastoral office; a member of the clergy; minister.

   2. (in hierarchical churches) a member of the clergy of the order next below that of bishop, authorized to carry out the Christian ministry.

3. a minister of any religion.

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verb (used with object)

1. to ordain as a priest.

priest British  

/ priːst /

noun

1. Christianity a person ordained to act as a mediator between God and man in administering the sacraments, preaching, blessing, guiding, etc

2. (in episcopal Churches) a minister in the second grade of the hierarchy of holy orders, ranking below a bishop but above a deacon

3. a minister of any religion

4. Judaism a descendant of the family of Aaron who has certain privileges in the synagogue service

5. (in some non-Christian religions) an official who offers sacrifice on behalf of the people and performs other religious ceremonies

6. (sometimes capital) a variety of fancy pigeon having a bald pate with a crest or peak at the back of the head

7. angling a small club used to kill fish caught

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verb

1. to make a priest; ordain

priest Cultural  

1. One who is designated an authority on religious matters. In some churches, especially the Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Roman Catholic Church, the ordained church leader who serves a congregation of believers is called a priest. The priests in these churches administer the sacraments, preach, and care for the needs of their congregations. (See also minister and pastor.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underpriest
  noun
• antipriest
  adjective
• priestless
  adjective
• priestlike
  adjective
• unpriestlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• priests
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of priest

before 900; Middle English prest ( e ), priest, Old English prēost, ultimately < Late Latin presbyter presbyter

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Explanation

A priest is a religious figure who performs ceremonies, particularly in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Orthodox church. During a Catholic baptism, a priest sprinkles holy water on a baby's head. Though priests are often thought of as Christian, there are other religions with priests, including some branches of Shintoism and Hinduism. Priests often lead religious services, perform weddings and other religious rites, and in many cases work full time for their churches. Priest comes from the Old English prēost, and it shares a root with Presbyterian, the Greek presbyteros, "an elder."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

priest priests

Leo heads to Argentina on Sunday, followed by Peru, where the Chicago-born pontiff served as a missionary priest and bishop for two decades and holds citizenship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

As a missionary, parish priest and later as bishop in northern Peru he ministered to the poor, denounced the excesses of power and lobbied for action on climate change.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

A few years ago, McCormack was even approached by a New Jersey priest, who asked for help updating his church in the Cheesecake Factory fashion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Born William Joseph Gabriel Doyle in 1873, the future priest had a comfortable, middle-class childhood in the affluent Dublin suburb of Dalkey.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

The priest advised the women to keep an eye on him: he might want to take off again.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

In the Amazon rainforest, where priests have long been scarce, some villagers have turned to their own spiritual leaders, while evangelical missionaries have blended Christianity with indigenous beliefs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Moretta is 10 years past the customary retirement age for Catholic priests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Unfortunately, I have always struggled with disappointing authority figures: professors, bosses, priests, parents — and, apparently, severe-bunned bakers.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

Under this traditional model, kings, priests, and other powerful leaders gained control of wealth and resources, causing the divide between rich and poor to expand.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026

Thus, there gathered a loud convocation of such of our number as claim familiarity with appropriate rites of burial—a meeting of palaver-men, Christian New Lights, obeah priests, and new-made cunning-workers.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

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Related Words

• cleric
• elder
• father
• friar
• lama
• monk
• preacher
• rector

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