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

Bobby Wilson was a pastor’s son who grew up idolizing the kind of R&B dudes who could wail a praise song and then hit up Freaknik afterwards (think Jodeci and H-Town). — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 July 2026

Alex Garcia, the pastor of the church, told ABC News' New York City affiliate WABC that the house of worship has been around for 20 years. — Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 9 July 2026

Verb

Marble, who pastors Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, and other pastors from around the state, gathered at a workshop for the African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee. — Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025

Bowman, 36, of College Hill, pastors a church in the West End and owns a coffee shop. — Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 4 July 2025

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