1
: rector
2
: clergyperson
especially
: a Protestant pastor
Examples of parson in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It was said that the room contained a troubled spirit and that the parson was supposed to bless the space.
—
Meredith Kile, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Among the beetle-collecting country parsons of his day, it was often assumed that the world had been created six thousand years ago and that many geological anomalies could be explained by Noah’s Flood.
—Lewis Hyde, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Sofa in collage by Peter Dunham Textiles; Hot pink laminate parsons tables by Two Worlds Arts; Soft edge chairs by Hay; Madeleine Castaing striped carpet by Codimat Collection.
—Michael Boodro, Architectural Digest, 18 Apr. 2025
Writing in the eighteenth century, Smith compared energetic and often sensationalist Methodist preachers with the more reserved and cerebral parsons of the Church of England.
—Shadi Hamid, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for parson
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Meredith Kile, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Among the beetle-collecting country parsons of his day, it was often assumed that the world had been created six thousand years ago and that many geological anomalies could be explained by Noah’s Flood.
—Lewis Hyde, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Sofa in collage by Peter Dunham Textiles; Hot pink laminate parsons tables by Two Worlds Arts; Soft edge chairs by Hay; Madeleine Castaing striped carpet by Codimat Collection.
—Michael Boodro, Architectural Digest, 18 Apr. 2025
Writing in the eighteenth century, Smith compared energetic and often sensationalist Methodist preachers with the more reserved and cerebral parsons of the Church of England.
—Shadi Hamid, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for parson
Cite this Entry
“Parson.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parson. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
parson
noun
par·son
ˈpärs-ᵊn 
1
: a minister in charge of a parish
2
: a member of the clergy
especially
: a Protestant pastor
Etymology
Middle English persone "parson," from early French persone (same meaning), from Latin persona, literally, "person"; so called because the parson was the legal "person" representing the church
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