sexton
noun
an official of a church charged with taking care of the edifice and its contents, ringing the bell, etc., and sometimes with burying the dead.
sexton
1 American
[sek-stuhn]
/ ˈsɛk stən /
noun
-
an official of a church charged with taking care of the edifice and its contents, ringing the bell, etc., and sometimes with burying the dead.
-
an official who maintains a synagogue and its religious articles, chants the designated portion of the Torah on prescribed days, and assists the cantor in conducting services on festivals.
Sexton
2
American
[sek-stuhn]
/ ˈsɛk stən /
noun
sexton
British
/ ˈsɛkstən /
noun
-
a person employed to act as caretaker of a church and its contents and graveyard, and often also as bell-ringer, gravedigger, etc
-
another name for the burying beetle
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sexton
1275–1325; Middle English sexteyn, sekesteyn, syncopated variant of segerstane, secristeyn < Anglo-French segerstaine sacristan
Vocabulary lists containing sexton
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:
“The sexton is an incredibly important role at Old North, serving both the church and historic site and connecting a nearly 300-year lineage of caretakers,” Nikki Stewart, executive director of the Old North Foundation said.
From Seattle Times ● May 13, 2022
It means I’m its chief executive officer, as well as its chief of police, tree warden and cemetery sexton, and I wind the clock in the Scotland Congregational Church.
From New York Times ● May 7, 2022
Mark Sealey digs graves for a living - although the more accurate description for his job is a sexton.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2022
“He did his job as a sexton very well. He was a very kind person,” said Florini.
From Reuters ● Oct. 29, 2020
Later he began to wish that he could put several other questions, such as “Do you like being a sexton?" or “Are you a slave?” or even “Are you happy?"
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Last season, Collin Sexton was a guard in Charlotte, trying helplessly to slow Doncic as he dropped 38 on the Hornets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
Now a Laker, Sexton is enjoying his current view much more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
It’s no surprise to Sexton that Vanderbilt approached his long-awaited regular-season debut the same way Wednesday against the Clippers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Collin Sexton hasn’t piled up gaudy numbers, but his role on the court has been critical for the Lakers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
The Parson called them, and asked them to set the Sexton and himself free.
From Snowdrop and Other Tales by Jacob Grimm
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
