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 pope’s trip to Africa was the longest of his pontificate, and his next foreign visit is scheduled to be in Spain from June 6 to 12. —Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026

Popes have been traveling the world since Pope Paul VI made the first modern foreign visit in 1964 to Jordan and Israel. —ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026

This was not Pope Leo, this was an earlier pope. —Maria Bamford, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026

The Iran war, and the pope's assessment of it, could have broader impacts across Pennsylvania, which has enjoyed must-win status in the last few presidential races. —Zak Hudak, CBS News, 22 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