pulpit

American  

[pool-pit, puhl-] / ˈpʊl pɪt, ˈpʌl- /

noun

pulpits plural

1. a platform or raised structure in a church, from which the sermon is delivered or the service is conducted.

2. the pulpit,

   1. the clerical profession; the ministry.

   2. members of the clergy collectively.

      In attendance were representatives of medicine, the pulpit, and the bar.

3. (especially in Protestantism and Judaism) the position of pastor or rabbi.

   He heard of a pulpit in Chicago that was about to be vacated.

4. the work of a preacher; preaching.

5. bully pulpit.

6. (in small craft)

   1. a safety rail rising about 18 to 30 inches (48 to 76 centimeters) from the deck near the bow and extending around it.

   2. a similar rail at the stern.

7. a control booth in a factory, usually elevated and glass-enclosed, from which an operator can observe and direct the manufacturing process.

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pulpit British  

/ ˈpʊlpɪt /

noun

1. a raised platform, usually surrounded by a barrier, set up in churches as the appointed place for preaching, leading in prayer, etc

2. any similar raised structure, such as a lectern

3. a medium for expressing an opinion, such as a column in a newspaper

4. 1. the preaching of the Christian message

   2. the clergy or their message and influence

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pulpital
  adjective
• pulpitless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pulpits
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pulpit

First recorded in 1300–50; Anglo-Norman pulpit, pulputte, French, Middle French pulpite, from Latin pulpitum “platform, scaffold, stage,” and also in Late Latin “pulpit”

Explanation

If you go into a church and see a minister speaking from a high platform, he's speaking from the pulpit. Pulpit was originally used to refer to the platform in a church that a preacher speaks from, but we often use it metaphorically for any kind of preaching, whether it's religious or not. If someone is trying to tell everyone else how to live, they're speaking from the pulpit, whether they're preaching the embrace of root vegetables or warning us that we will be attacked by aliens.

Example Sentences

Jin’s path to the pulpit was forged in the aftermath of a different crackdown: Tiananmen Square.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

The controller has a bully pulpit to vent about the city’s dire financial straits, as well as auditing powers to unearth where the city might be overspending, but does not actually manage the budget.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

In this moment, “the box,” as Mero casually refers to it, became a true communal stage, a participatory call-and-response pulpit for the neighborhood.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

“The truth is that when you are police chief you have a bully pulpit, and what you say or fail to say is important.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2026

He made his way soundlessly to one side of the pulpit and slid through a half-opened door leading into what looked like some sort of office.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Related Words

• lectern
• podium