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

Bishop’s Lodge dates to the 1860s when Santa Fe’s first archbishop, Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy, built a chapel and private residence here. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

The pilgrims were going to a prayer site in Nakuru County, west of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, said Martin Kivuva, archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

After Sheen's time in the Archdiocese of New York, he was appointed Bishop of Rochester in 1966 and then was named an archbishop in 1969. — Aleja Hertzler-McCain, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026

Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, along with two orders of nuns, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and the Little Sisters of the Poor, filed a lawsuit last week to block Illinois’ assisted suicide law. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 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