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

In his community, Bustamante likened it to denouncing Catholicism and removing photos of the pope. —ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026

Sunday’s mass marked the beginning of Holy Week, the first one Leo has presided over as pope. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026

The pope did not name specific political leaders but has steadily sharpened his criticism of the war in recent weeks, repeatedly calling for an immediate ceasefire. —Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026

The delegation planned to present the pope with a book about the history of Illinois Capitol, among other gifts, Chalmers-Currin said. —Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 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