deacon

noun

dea·con | \ ˈdē-kən

Definition of deacon

: a subordinate officer in a Christian church: such as

a : a Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Eastern Orthodox cleric ranking next below a priest

b : one of the laymen elected by a church with congregational polity to serve in worship, in pastoral care, and on administrative committees

c : a Mormon in the lowest grade of the Aaronic priesthood

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about deacon

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Examples of deacon in a Sentence

my cousin was married by his uncle, who is also a deacon in his church

Recent Examples on the Web

The celebration used to be gentler, said church deacon Herman Purutyan. — Cristela Guerra, BostonGlobe.com, "Ancient Armenian water celebration comes to Watertown," 9 July 2018 Some of the deacons are women and the head of the steward board is a woman. — Corey Williams, Fox News, "For black women at church, it's more than the Aretha eulogy," 9 Sep. 2018 Don Gathers, a deacon at First Baptist Church in Charlottesville, was on the front lines with other clergy members protesting last year’s white supremacist rally. — Joe Heim, Washington Post, "Sacred ground, now reclaimed: A Charlottesville story," 7 July 2018 The 71 include 37 priests of the diocese, three deacons, six seminarians, nine clergy from other dioceses and 16 individuals from religious communities. — Scott Calvert, WSJ, "Pennsylvania Catholic Diocese Identifies Priests Accused of Child Sexual Abuse," 1 Aug. 2018 Others are evangelists, or are ordained as deacons. — Corey Williams, Fox News, "For black women at church, it's more than the Aretha eulogy," 9 Sep. 2018 Davis, a Catholic deacon from Burbank, plans to walk with Berget from death row to the gurney. — Dave Kolpack, The Seattle Times, "South Dakota to execute inmate on Monday for guard’s slaying," 26 Oct. 2018 The task force is run by Al Green, a 28-year-old church deacon from Jamaica who stands ready to help at every step. — Brian Macquarrie, BostonGlobe.com, "In Worcester, a safe haven for gay immigrants," 25 June 2018 Along the way Sylvia was an avid reader, deacon at the Storrs Congregational Church and a member of Connecticut Planned Parenthood (a perk was meeting Paul Newman). — Hartford Courant, courant.com, "Sylvia Marie Aho," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deacon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.