clergyman

noun

Definition of clergymannext
as in preacher

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clergyman The clergyman warns that failure to do so would jeopardize the future of Iran as well as the stability of the entire Middle East, unleashing an even more volatile and repressive regime in the war’s wake. — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026 McColumn is a retired Brigadier General and clergyman from Warner Robins, Georgia. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026 From the altar, the priest—whom a fellow clergyman introduced as being el Ĉinio, or from China—delivered the readings, blessed the Eucharist, and invited us to interŝanĝi the sign of the paco. — Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026 The clergyman warned, however, that failure to do so would jeopardize the future of Iran and the stability of the entire Middle East, unleashing an even more volatile and repressive Tehran government in the war’s wake. — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for clergyman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clergyman
  1. preacher
  2. churchman
  3. priest
  4. deacon
  5. reverend
  6. cleric
  7. clergyperson
  8. ecclesiastic
Noun
  • The dynamic duo of Jonda Valentine, an artist and daughter of a Pentecostal preacher, and her longtime friend Christa Suppan, who started as a bartender when Lipstick first opened, share co-ownership of the two bars.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 July 2026
  • The street preacher asks if someone could be cited if a transgender person is offended if they are misgendered by another person.
    — Emily Holshouser July 2, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 July 2026
Definition of preacher
Noun
  • Meanwhile, churchmen claimed the authority to restrain violence, encouraged just wars and threatened violent behaviors with spiritual sanctions.
    — Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Not all birth rituals depended on the intercession of a saint or the authority of a churchman.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of churchman
Noun
  • In places such as Taiwan, Daoist priests can be seen today conducting rituals at community temples and annual festivals.
    — Michael Naparstek, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • At the moment the priest elevated the host during the consecration — the most sacred moment of the Catholic Mass, when Catholics believe bread becomes the body of Christ — thunder cracked loudly overhead.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 6 July 2026
Definition of priest
Noun
  • The research in the Diocese of Saginaw reviewed allegations against 37 priests and one deacon, 30 of whom are known or presumed to be dead.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 25 June 2026
  • When there’s a big medical bill, the deacon, or maybe some sort of committee, a small committee within the church, try to pull some funds together to pay for it.
    — Torie Bosch, STAT, 6 June 2026
Definition of deacon
Noun
  • However, a reverend in Zambia — Billiance Chondwe — says he's noticed a change.
    — Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 18 June 2026
  • Spirtual foundation Astara, where Guidera reportedly served as a reverend, paid tribute to the late actor in an emotional social media post over the weekend.
    — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Definition of reverend
Noun
  • Revolutionary Guard members and clerics mourn on the esplanade of the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque.
    — Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 3 July 2026
  • Funeral ceremonies are expected to begin in Tehran and move to Qom, a stronghold of many senior Shiite clerics, then to Mashhad, Khamenei's birthplace.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 June 2026
Definition of cleric
Noun
  • What makes the family tradition sustainable in central Massachusetts, where the Vallelis now live, is a pastor-sharing arrangement between two congregations that couldn’t afford a full-time clergyperson on their own.
    — G. Jeffrey MacDonald, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2020
Definition of clergyperson
Noun
  • Of all the precious goods accumulated by the rulers and ecclesiastics of late medieval Ethiopia, the most charged of all were books.
    — Peter Brown, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020
  • This shop for ecclesiastics has an exquisite selection of high-quality pieces.
    — Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2019
Definition of ecclesiastic

Browse Nearby Words

clergy
clergyman
clergymen
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Cite this Entry

“Clergyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clergyman. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on clergyman

Nglish: Translation of clergyman for Spanish Speakers

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