diocese

noun

di·​o·​cese ˈdī-ə-səs 

-ˌsēs, 

-ˌsēz

plural dioceses ˈdī-ə-sə-səz 

-ˌsē-zəz

nonstandard ˈdī-ə-ˌsēz

: the territorial jurisdiction of a bishop

diocesan

dī-ˈä-sə-sən 

also ˈdī-ə-ˌsē-sᵊn

adjective

Examples of diocese in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The archdiocese says 30 other dioceses across the United States are currently going through a similar process. —Nick Lentz, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025

Bishop Peter Christensen, who leads the Boise diocese, was among the over 200 bishops who voted in favor of Wednesday’s statement, said Marco Roman, a spokesperson for the Boise diocese. —Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 14 Nov. 2025

Father Pat can’t persuade the diocese to back the nuns, but his return to the Jacobson-Moore offices gives Matty an idea. —Noel Murray, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025

Bishops will have autonomy in putting the new directives into law for their dioceses. —Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English diocise, dyoces, borrowed from Anglo-French diocise, dyocés, borrowed from Late Latin diocēsis, dioecēsis "administrative district, province, group of provinces (in the later Roman Empire), jurisdiction of a bishop" (Latin, "administrative district"), borrowed from Late Greek dioíkēsis "administration, control, ordering, civil or ecclesiastical group of provinces, jurisdiction of a bishop," going back to Greek, "management, administration," from dioikē-, variant stem of dioikéō, dioikeîn "to control, manage, look after" (from di- di- + oikeîn "to live, have one's home, order, govern," derivative of oîkos "house, home") + -sis -sis — more at vicinity

Note: In early Modern English diocise, passed on from Middle English, competed unsuccessfully with the Latin/French-influenced forms diocess and diocese. The variant diocess was predominant in the eighteenth century and is the only form entered in Samuel Johnson's dictionary (1755). The situation had changed, at least in the U.S., by the early nineteenth century: Noah Webster, in his American Dictionary of the English Language (1828), enters only diocese, and regards diocess as "a very erroneous orthography."

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for diocese

• abcs
• absentees
• addressees
• adoptees
• allottees
• amputees
• antifreeze
• appellees
• appointees
• arrestees
• artistes
• assamese

Kids Definition

diocese

noun

di·​o·​cese ˈdī-ə-səs 

-ˌsēz, 

-ˌsēs

plural dioceses ˈdī-ə-ˌsēz 

-ˌsē-zēz, 

-sə-səz

: the district over which a bishop has authority