clergy

noun

cler·​gy ˈklər-jē 

plural clergies

1

: a group ordained to perform pastoral or sacerdotal functions in a Christian church

Members of the clergy have been invited to participate in an interfaith service.

2

: the official or sacerdotal class of a non-Christian religion

Buddhist clergy

Synonyms of clergy

• church
• episcopate

Examples of clergy in a Sentence

Local clergy have been invited to participate in an interfaith service.

a member of the clergy

Recent Examples on the Web

This, all in a country where hundreds of clergy were publicly executed during the French Revolution — many by guillotine. — Chris Livesay, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Meanwhile, local Church leaders hope the pope's visit will repair the Church's standing after a crushing 2021 report found that some 330,000 French children had been abused by Catholic clergy and lay leaders over seven decades. — Joshua McElwee, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026

In most Quaker houses of worship, there is no clergy, pulpit or altar. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026

Though Rome was not convinced (Columbus had not, to anyone’s knowledge, performed any miracles), in 1892, Pope Leo XIII did issue a special encyclical calling on all clergy in the Americas and in Europe to hold a special Mass each Columbus Day. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English clergie, from Anglo-French, from clerc clergyman

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing clergy

• benefit of clergy

Kids Definition

clergy

noun

cler·​gy ˈklər-jē 

plural clergies

: the group of religious officials (as priests, ministers, or rabbis) specially prepared and authorized to conduct religious services