pastor

1 of 3

noun (1)

pas·​tor ˈpa-stər 

plural pastors

: a spiritual overseer

especially : a clergyperson serving a local church or parish

pastorship

ˈpa-stər-ˌship 

noun

pastor

2 of 3

verb

pastored; pastoring ˈpa-st(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

: to serve as pastor of

pastor a church

pastor

3 of 3

noun (2)

pas·​tor pä-ˈstȯr 

chiefly Southwestern US

: herdsman

Examples of pastor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Rooted in a rich history dating back to 1808, the church carries an iconic legacy, having welcomed patrons including André Leon Talley, freedom riders such as Samuel DeWitt Proctor, and pastors like Adam Clayton Powell Sr. —Tiana Randall, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2025

Giuliani was pastor at Fort Mill’s St. Philip Neri church for more than a quarter century, and also has pastored at St. Mary in Rock Hill and Divine Saviour in York. —Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2025

Verb

Musk was not hired to pastor a church or run a counseling center. —Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025

The charge against Matt Queen, who currently pastors a North Carolina church and previously served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Southwestern, accuses him falsifying records and lying about evidence tampering. —Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English pastour, from Anglo-French, from Latin pastor herdsman, from pascere to feed — more at food

Noun (2)

Spanish, from Latin

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1623, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pastor

• aster
• blaster
• caster
• castor
• faster
• gaster
• laster
• master
• paster
• plaster
• raster
• vaster

Kids Definition

pastor

noun

pas·​tor

ˈpas-tər

: a minister or priest in charge of a church or parish

pastorship

-ˌship

noun