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

The week after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and a delegation of 45 other Chicago notables met with Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican, another Chicago politician got to meet the pope too. —Adam Harrington, CBS News, 3 June 2026

From 756 until 1870, the pope ruled these territories directly. —Scott Spires, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 June 2026

This was seven years before the dogma was defined by the pope, pointing to the popularity of this devotion even before official recognition. —Bridget Retzloff, The Conversation, 2 June 2026

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who did not curtail his trip to visit the pope in Rome to argue for a blessing for Arlington Heights, LOL, was clearly of that mind, too. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 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