padre

noun

pa·​dre ˈpä-(ˌ)drā  -drē 

1

: a Christian clergyman

especially : priest

2

: a military chaplain

Examples of padre in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the padres’ careful records, burials far outstripped baptisms. — Literary Hub, 29 July 2026

The Mexican fan palm, supposedly brought here by the mission-building padres to supply Palm Sunday foliage, can grow taller, maybe 10 stories, and skinnier, and can dip and sway camera-readily in the wind. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025

The group has since evolved to the comité de padres and grown to roughly 30 mothers. — Mathew Miranda, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish or Italian or Portuguese, literally, father, from Latin pater — more at father

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for padre

• ay
• bay
• bey
• brae
• cay
• chez
• dey
• dray
• fay
• fey
• flay
• fray

Kids Definition

padre

noun

pa·​dre ˈpäd-rā  -rē 

1

: priest

2

: a military chaplain

Etymology

from Spanish or Italian or Portuguese padre "priest," literally, "father," all from Latin pater "father" — related to paternal, patron, pattern