ministry

noun

min·​is·​try ˈmi-nə-strē 

plural ministries

1

: ministration

The ingenuity of destruction … had outrun the ministry of healing.

—Dixon Wecter

2

: the office, duties, or functions of a minister

was well-suited for the ministry

3

: the body of ministers of religion : clergy

joined the Presbyterian ministry

4

: a person or thing through which something is accomplished : agency, instrumentality

Heroic believers become such by the ministry of heroic pains.

—Austin Phelps

5

: the period of service or office of a minister or ministry

Many reforms were enacted during his ministry.

6

often Ministry

a

: the body of ministers governing a nation or state from which a smaller cabinet (see cabinet entry 1 sense 3b) is sometimes selected

b

: the group of ministers constituting a cabinet

7

a

: a government department presided over by a minister

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

b

: the building in which the business of a ministry is transacted

Synonyms of ministry

• instrumentality
• means
• instrument
• vehicle
• agent
• agency
• organ
• machinery

Examples of ministry in a Sentence

a member of the ministry

She learned a lot during her first year of ministry.

Recent Examples on the Web

Spain, which had responded to Rome's sanctions with its own border checks on people coming from Italy, also extended its tit-for-tat measures for another 15 days, the Spanish foreign ministry said. — Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026

Data from the new study is accessible through an interactive platform, the Skin Observatory Data Explorer, which can be tapped by health ministries, organizations and researchers, among others. — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026

Spain, which had responded to Rome’s sanctions with its own border checks on people coming from Italy, also extended its tit-for-tat measures for another 15 days, the Spanish foreign ministry said. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Indonesia’s ministries of Environment and Forestry; Energy and Mineral Resources did not respond to requests for comment. — ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ministerie, minstri "personal service, religious office, position in a church," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French ministere "service, duty," going back to Old French, borrowed from Latin ministerium "activity of a servant, duty, task, support" (Late Latin, "ecclesiastical service") from minister "servant, minister entry 1" + -ium, denominal suffix of occupations

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ministry

• the ministry

Kids Definition

ministry

noun

min·​is·​try ˈmin-ə-strē 

plural ministries

1

: the action of ministering

2

: the office, duties, or work of a minister

3

a

: the body of ministers governing a nation or state

b

: a government department headed by a minister

c

: the building in which a ministry is housed