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

Lam oversaw Vietnam’s most ambitious bureaucratic overhaul since the late 1980s, cutting tens of thousands of public-sector jobs, merging ministries, redrawing provincial boundaries and pushing through major infrastructure projects. —Aniruddha Ghosal, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026

More than 470 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, according to the strip's health ministry. —Arkansas Online, 22 Jan. 2026

The van had the branding of the UK Home Office, the abrupt morning raid being in line with the hostile policies of the interior ministry, then led by Conservative home secretary Priti Patel. —Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 22 Jan. 2026

Before pursuing ministry full time, Mullally spent 35 years as a nurse. —Maggie McGrath, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 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