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
Many Catholic leaders rejected the pope’s stance, with bishops in Africa, Poland and other parts of the world refusing to implement the policy or barring their clergy from offering these blessings.
—
Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2025
While federal officers have been arresting people at courthouses since President Donald Trump promised mass deportations around the country, nobody was seized while clergy was on-site.
—Blake Nelson, Mercury News, 18 July 2025
Ahead of the facility’s opening, state officials said detainees would have access to medical care, consistent air conditioning, a recreation yard, attorneys and clergy members.
—Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025
Rabbis and other clergy members in the United States may endorse candidates from the pulpit without jeopardizing their house of worship’s tax-exempt status, the Internal Revenue Service has decreed.
—Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for clergy
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Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2025
While federal officers have been arresting people at courthouses since President Donald Trump promised mass deportations around the country, nobody was seized while clergy was on-site.
—Blake Nelson, Mercury News, 18 July 2025
Ahead of the facility’s opening, state officials said detainees would have access to medical care, consistent air conditioning, a recreation yard, attorneys and clergy members.
—Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025
Rabbis and other clergy members in the United States may endorse candidates from the pulpit without jeopardizing their house of worship’s tax-exempt status, the Internal Revenue Service has decreed.
—Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 11 July 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 20 Aug. 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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