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Showing results for archbishop. Search instead for prince-bishop.
Synonyms

archbishop

American  
[ahrch-bish-uhp] / ˈɑrtʃˈbɪʃ əp /

noun

archbishops plural
  1. a bishop of the highest rank who presides over an archbishopric or archdiocese.


archbishop British  
/ ˈɑːtʃˈbɪʃəp /

noun

  1. Abbreviation: abp.   Abp.   Arch.   Archbp.  a bishop of the highest rank

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of archbishop

before 900; Middle English; Old English arcebisceop ( arce- arch- 1 + bisceop bishop ), modeled on Late Latin archiepiscopus < Greek archiepískopos; replacing Old English hēahbisceop ( see high)

Vocabulary lists containing archbishop

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.

See Examples For:

Though his first love was always parish work, we were there for his elevations to auxiliary bishop of San Francisco, bishop of San Diego and, most recently, archbishop of Washington.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 8, 2026

If this sounds more Hollywood than parish church to you, well, it appears that Cardinal Robert McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, agrees.

From Slate Jun. 8, 2026

And apart from a rabbi and a retired Catholic archbishop, almost all the 20 listed "faith leaders" who will speak are evangelical Protestants.

From Barron's May 17, 2026

The archbishop said men had also supported her but that this afternoon's service - would give the sense of being "something about celebrating women".

From BBC Mar. 25, 2026

In the crowd, dignitaries—including the archbishop of Canterbury—cheered as Blake descended.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

They will take their seats alongside around 700 existing life peers, who are appointed to the role, and 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops.

From BBC Apr. 29, 2026

Theoretically, any baptised man can be elected as pope, but a cardinal, all of whom are serving archbishops ordained by a pontiff, is usually picked.

From BBC Apr. 24, 2025

But, the archbishops - who have held talks with Mr Gove about the plans - believe the government risks disproportionately targeting Muslim communities.

From BBC Mar. 12, 2024

Francis made the unscripted comments at the end of Mass, calling up the former and current archbishops of Hong Kong, Cardinal John Tong Hon and Archbishop Stephen Chow, to flank him as he spoke.

From Reuters Sep. 3, 2023

Composers spent half their lives walking across Germany to work for different archbishops and archdukes.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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