chaplain

noun

chap·​lain ˈcha-plən 

1

: a clergyperson in charge of a chapel

2

: a clergyperson officially attached to a branch of the military, to an institution, or to a family or court

3

: a person chosen to conduct religious exercises (as at a meeting of a club or society)

4

: a clergyperson appointed to assist a bishop (as at a liturgical function)

chaplaincy

ˈcha-plən-sē 

noun

Examples of chaplain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That fear, coupled with the fact that ICE has been showing up in religious spaces across the country, are the main reasons why the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is encouraging rabbis to take the poll chaplain training, said Pesner. — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 1 Nov. 2026

Inside the house, Helen saw the Army officers, the major and the chaplain, standing erect, hats tucked to sides, pinned there by an elbow. — Ron Farina, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

Von Wernich, a former police chaplain, was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 for his role in seven murders and dozens of kidnappings and torture cases during Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026

One of the men was a twenty-one-year-old Nazi stormtrooper called Horst Wessel, the son of a Protestant military chaplain, who had abandoned his home and his law studies at university to live with a young prostitute, Erna Jaenichen. — Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English chapelein, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin cappellanus, from cappella

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for chaplain

• caplin

Kids Definition

chaplain

noun

chap·​lain ˈchap-lən 

1

: a member of the clergy officially attached to a special group (as the army)

2

: a person chosen to conduct religious exercises (as for a club)