pope

1 of 2

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

Popian

2 of 2

adjective

Pop·​i·​an

variants or less commonly Popean

ˈpōpēən 

: of, relating to, or resembling Alexander Pope or his poetry

the fashionable Popian couplet

—George Saintsbury

Examples of pope in a Sentence

Noun

The cardinals elected a new pope.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Villanova had the pope’s support and many more traveling fans. — Andrew Dampf, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

Celebrating the Lives and Deaths of the Popes Even visitors with little knowledge of Vatican history will find this exhibit fascinating. — Jill Robbins, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2026

The pope joins the nearly 50 million Americans who have already voted early for Tuesday’s election, according to the early-voter tracker at the University of Florida’s Election Lab. — Rachel Lerman, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2026

Records show that the pope is registered under his baptismal name, Robert Francis Prevost, to vote in the Chicago suburb of New Lenox, where his brother John lives. — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English pāpa, from Late Latin papa, from Greek pappas, papas, title of bishops, literally, papa

Adjective

Alexander Pope †1744 English poet + -ian, -an

First Known Use

Noun

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