pope

noun

ˈpōp 

1

often capitalized : 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 New York Times took deep dive into the new pope’s lineage and found that his cousins include Madonna, Justin Bieber and Angelina Jolie. —Vivian Kwarm, New York Daily News, 17 June 2025

The move fit into the pope’s broader understanding of martyr as a social justice concept, allowing those deemed to have been killed for doing God’s work and following the Gospel to be considered for sainthood. —Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025

The move fit into the pope's broader understanding of martyr as a social justice concept, allowing those deemed to have been killed for doing God's work and following the gospel to be considered for sainthood. —Arkansas Online, 16 June 2025

The celebration at Sox park on the South Side will honor the pope’s roots in the area. —Michael Loria, USA Today, 14 June 2025

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 adjective

or less commonly Popean

ˈpō-pē-ən 

Pope

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

John 1822–1892 American general