ordained; ordaining; ordains
1
: to invest (see invest entry 2 sense 1) officially (as by the laying on of hands) with ministerial or priestly authority
was ordained as a priest
2
a
: to establish or order by appointment, decree, or law : enact
We the people … do ordain and establish this Constitution …—
U.S. Constitution
U.S. Constitution
b
: destine, foreordain
It is futile to try to avoid what destiny has ordained.
: to issue an order
so the gods have ordained
ordainer
noun
Examples of ordain in a Sentence
She is an ordained minister.
The process was ordained by law.
Recent Examples on the Web
George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King’s College London, highlighted the church’s continuing divergence from the Catholic Church, which forbids women from being ordained as priests, much less as serving as the religion’s global spiritual leader.
—Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
He was ordained as a rabbi in the Masorti movement in Israel and worked there before moving to San Diego in 2024.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
Pastor Harris, a later-in-life pastor, became ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at 60.
—Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Indiana, formerly of Orland Park, took a trip to El Salvador with Hicks before Hicks was ordained as a priest in 1994.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ordain
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Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
He was ordained as a rabbi in the Masorti movement in Israel and worked there before moving to San Diego in 2024.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
Pastor Harris, a later-in-life pastor, became ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at 60.
—Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Indiana, formerly of Orland Park, took a trip to El Salvador with Hicks before Hicks was ordained as a priest in 1994.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ordain
Cite this Entry
“Ordain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ordain. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ordain
verb
or·dain
ȯr-ˈdān 
1
: to make a person a Christian minister or priest by a special ceremony
2
a
: decree entry 2
it was ordained by law
b
: destine sense 1
we seem ordained to fail
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