(initial capital letter) (used as a title of respect applied or prefixed to the name of a member of the clergy or a religious order).
Reverend Timothy Cranshaw; Reverend Mother.
worthy to be revered; entitled to reverence.
pertaining to or characteristic of the clergy.
worthy of reverence
relating to or designating a clergyman or the clergy
Reverend with a surname alone ( Reverend Smith ), as a term of address ( ``Yes, Reverend'' ), or in the salutation of a letter ( Dear Rev. Mr Smith ) are all generally considered to be wrong usage. Preferred are ( the ) Reverend John Smith or Reverend Mr Smith and Dear Mr Smith
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin reverendus worthy of being revered, gerund of reverērī to revere 1
Use the noun reverend to talk about a clergy member of a Christian church, as in: "Let's ask the reverend if she'll marry us next week." A minister, preacher, or priest can each also be called a reverend. The word is often capitalized, especially when it's used in the form "the Reverend so-and-so." In the early 15th century, it meant "worthy of respect," a meaning that's sometimes still used today, and by the late part of that century it was being used for clergy members too, though it was earliest spelled reverent.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The former reality TV host could not help but compare himself to the late reverend King.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
He told police he left the hotel after midnight to travel to Accra for a 06:00 meeting with a reverend before a scheduled flight back to the UK.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
"ICE has even been arresting airport workers while they are on the job," said one of those who protested, reverend Mariah Furness Tollgaard of Hamline Church United Methodist.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Craig “The Hatchet Man” Johnson, a self-described reverend, the founder and president of educational advocacy organization First Amendment, Inc, and the host of conservative radio program “The REALLY, Real, Deal,” is one such endorser.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2025
“We have a difficult task ahead of us,” the reverend said, his voice carrying throughout the room.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Reverend Canon Guy Hewitt read out a message from King Charles during the service.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Silence Is Talking by Reverend & The Makers is reborn as the terrace anthem, aided by the trumpeter in the England band playing the familiar riff taken from War's 1975 song Low Rider.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
In an address to Parliament, the bill's sponsor Reverend John Ntim Fordjour said the bill protected Ghanaian family and cultural values.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
The books themselves were both 1836 works about fossils, written by geologist Reverend William Buckland.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
Let me just say the Right Reverend found me a long-lost Warne kin who lives in Chicago.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
No doctors, no lawyers, no journalists, no politicians, no reverends.
From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2022
They included two religious reverends, two senior penal system staff and two academics from the University of Sydney.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2022
I come from a family of reverends and pastors, and then here comes my little gay self.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2022
They can be reverends, rabbis, priests or pastors.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 12, 2018
It was on this trip that he had acquired most of his distaste for the reverends.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
