archbishop

noun

arch·​bish·​op (ˌ)ärch-ˈbi-shəp 

: a bishop at the head of an ecclesiastical province or one of equivalent honorary rank

Examples of archbishop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lori has been the archbishop of Baltimore since 2012. —William E. Lori, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026

The two men, who later became good friends, had known each other from when Prevost was the Augustinian prior general and the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was archbishop of Buenos Aires. —ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026

Mansell served as archbishop in Hartford from 2004 until his retirement in 2013. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026

Thomas Wenski, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami, called for a review of the decision in an April 15 op-ed in the Miami Herald. —Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English arcebiscop, from Late Latin archiepiscopus, from Late Greek archiepiskopos, from archi- + episkopos bishop — more at bishop

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

archbishop

noun

arch·​bish·​op (ˈ)ärch-ˈbish-əp 

: the bishop of highest rank in a group of dioceses