pope

noun

1
often capitalized : a prelate who as bishop of Rome is the head of the Roman Catholic Church
2
: one that resembles a pope (as in authority)
3
a
: the Eastern Orthodox or Coptic patriarch of Alexandria
b
: a priest of an Eastern church

Examples of pope in a Sentence

The cardinals elected a new pope.
Recent Examples on the Web When asked to produce an image of a pope, the system showed only people of ethnicities other than white. David Gilbert, WIRED, 22 Feb. 2024 Terri’s situation ignited a cultural and legislative debate over end-of-life issues, from the press to the pope. Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 The pope sounds truly sorry for what happened to Gilbert and other students at St. Joseph’s. Joe Leydon, Variety, 31 Jan. 2024 The wording of a concluding report failed to use inclusive language coined by the pope and declined to even repeat the term LGBTQ+. Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Dec. 2023 But before that, attempts by the secretariat to refinance a loan through the Vatican bank set off alarm bells that got back to the pope and triggered the broader investigation. Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2023 The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), an association of Catholic bishops on the continent had opposed the pope’s decision to approve nonliturgical blessings for gay couples, describing such blessings as inappropriate. Nimi Princewill, CNN, 29 Jan. 2024 Some of his predictions for 2024 include King Charles III abdicating the throne, a naval battle and a new pope. Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 4 Jan. 2024 In July, the pope then reorganized the office, appointing a close adviser and fellow Argentine, Víctor Manuel Fernández, as its chief. Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pope.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English pāpa, from Late Latin papa, from Greek pappas, papas, title of bishops, literally, papa

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pope was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near pope

Cite this Entry

“Pope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pope. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pope

noun
often capitalized
: the head of the Roman Catholic Church

Biographical Definition

Pope 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

Alexander 1688–1744 English poet
Popian adjective
or less commonly Popean

Pope

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

John 1822–1892 American general
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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