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
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
With both courtesies and catastrophes refusing to conform, the canton’s school board, publishers, and clergy were forced to produce multiple editions of primers, textbooks, and catechisms; sometimes five parallel print runs were needed for a population the size of a town.
—
Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
County officials said this kind of shock isn't unique to one neighborhood, but clergy members from the South and West sides of Chicago came together on Monday to say their neighborhoods have been disproportionately hit hard by property tax increases.
—Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025
But the decree also comes amid a rise of polyamory in Western countries, which has generated pastoral and doctrinal questions for clergy and the faithful.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
As the years passed, the clergy became influential in advocating against vaccines — some say as a reaction to the government limiting church services during the early years of the pandemic.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clergy
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Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
County officials said this kind of shock isn't unique to one neighborhood, but clergy members from the South and West sides of Chicago came together on Monday to say their neighborhoods have been disproportionately hit hard by property tax increases.
—Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025
But the decree also comes amid a rise of polyamory in Western countries, which has generated pastoral and doctrinal questions for clergy and the faithful.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
As the years passed, the clergy became influential in advocating against vaccines — some say as a reaction to the government limiting church services during the early years of the pandemic.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clergy
Cite this Entry
“Clergy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clergy. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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