pope

noun

ˈpōp 

1

often Pope : 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

Wenski emphasized that the pope's role is not to seek approval, but to remain committed to his faith and message. —Anna McAllister, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026

Trump linked the pope’s ascension to his return to office as president. —Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2026

Catholic bishops and Italian leaders rallied behind the pope, emphasizing his role as religious leader rather than politician. —Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026

That schedule is likely to be tough even for a pope who, at 70, is relatively young and known to take regular exercise. —Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for pope

• cope
• dope
• grope
• lope
• mope
• nope
• rope
• scope
• shope
• slope
• soap
• stope

Kids Definition

pope

noun

ˈpōp 

often capitalized

: the head of the Roman Catholic Church

Biographical Definition

Pope 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈpōp 

Alexander 1688–1744 English poet

Popian

ˈpō-pē-ən 

adjective

or less commonly Popean

Pope

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

John 1822–1892 American general