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

Etymology

Origin of priest

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

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

Reilly’s relationship with Eugene Boyle, a Bay Area Catholic priest and liberal activist known for supporting the Civil Rights Movement, shaped his political views.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

“They knew the risks,” said Father Rigoberto Cruz, a local Catholic priest, of the dead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

I know many wondered in 1976 whether it was an auspicious time to become a priest, just as Mr. McGurn asks whether now is an auspicious time to be ordained.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

With a Bible in his hand, a Mexican priest offers prayers where the bodies lie.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

The priest and the barber had taken to the road to find them.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Asia's only dedicated exorcism centre -- designed to train not only Philippine priests but clergy from across the region -- sits just off a busy thoroughfare in Metro Manila.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

We learned about the annual return of swallows, admired blooming roses and citrus trees and absorbed a simple story: Spanish conquistadors and Catholic priests tamed a wild land, and we should follow their example.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026

The Society rejects changes made to how Mass is celebrated - for example it still holds its services in Latin rather than everyday language, and priests face the altar rather than the congregation.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

His older brothers—also artists—had been dispatched by the high priests of Cubism to inform Duchamp that his submission to the Salon des Indépendants wouldn’t make the cut.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

The school’s instructors were priests from the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, an order dedicated to a seventeenth-century French cleric known for his sunniness and kindness who is sometimes called the “gentleman saint.”

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

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