apostle

noun apos·tle \ ə-ˈpä-səl \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Definition of apostle

1 : one sent on a mission: such as

a : one of an authoritative New Testament group sent out to preach the gospel and made up especially of Christ's 12 original disciples and Paul

b : the first prominent Christian missionary to a region or group

St. Boniface, the Apostle of Germany

2 a : a person who initiates a great moral reform or who first advocates an important belief or system

b : an ardent supporter : adherent

apostles of high technology

3 : the highest ecclesiastical official in some church organizations

4 : one of a Mormon administrative council of 12 men

—

apostleship

play \-ˌship\ noun

See apostle defined for English-language learners

See apostle defined for kids

Examples of apostle in a Sentence

a fervent apostle of universal health care

Recent Examples of apostle from the Web

Buenos Aires would invite Le Corbusier, the Swiss apostle of towerblocks and bulldozers, to reimagine the Argentine capital from scratch.

— jason farago, New York Times, "How Latin America Was Built, Before Modernism Came Along," 18 Apr. 2018
Tony Award-winning producer and Hamilton alum Brandon Victor Dixon will star as the infamous, traitorous apostle in NBC’s live musical, the network announced Thursday.

— shirley li, EW.com, "Jesus Christ Superstar Live," 22 Feb. 2018
But as with many of today’s restaurant and bar pop-ups, the apostles and JC gathered to eat, drink and explore a theme of some kind in a place that wasn’t necessarily made for that purpose.

— michael nagrant, RedEye Chicago, "What's driving the pop-up trend in Chicago?," 23 May 2018
On Maundy Thursday, Christians remember Jesus' Last Supper with his apostles.

— tim funk, charlotteobserver, "A holy weekend for 2 faiths begins with Christian commemoration of Jesus' Last Supper | Charlotte Observer," 29 Mar. 2018
Even our tech leaders, who have become apostles of success by monetizing our user data, seem to have no sense of how to leverage this resource for anything but private benefit.

— jacob silverman, Longreads, "Searching for a Future Beyond Facebook," 2 May 2018
The significance of her seat lies instead in Mary Magdalene taking the prized position above any of the twelve male apostles, as Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) looks on in jealousy.

— Time, "The Real Reason Why Mary Magdalene Is Such a Controversial Figure," 30 Mar. 2018
Also, to those who were apostles of hip-hop, your word being your bond is the cornerstone.

— bianca alysse, Billboard, "Filmmaker Sacha Jenkins Talks New Documentary 'Word Is Bond' & Why The Bronx Deserves Its Credit in Hip-Hop," 20 Feb. 2018
And while the trends and the fashions may change, we are not allowed to change the doctrine which was created by Jesus Christ and his apostles.

— The Economist, "Transcript: Interview with Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev," 1 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apostle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of apostle

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Old English; Anglo-French apostle & Old English apostol, both from Late Latin apostolus, from Greek apostolos, from apostellein to send away, from apo- + stellein to send

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year