pope

noun

ˈpōp 

1

often Pope : a prelate who as bishop of Rome is the head of the Roman Catholic Church

2

: one that resembles a pope (as in authority)

3

a

: the Eastern Orthodox or Coptic patriarch of Alexandria

b

: a priest of an Eastern church

Examples of pope in a Sentence

The cardinals elected a new pope.

Recent Examples on the Web

This choice to defend the principles of an international order must be understood alongside the pope’s efforts to maintain and create unity within the Church, a project that can sometimes be at odds with a strong endorsement of internationalism. — Colleen Dulle, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

John Paul, who also came in 1987, was the first and last pope to visit. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

Before thousands of fans can wear them, collect them, or hand them over to the pope himself, someone has to dream up the various memorabilia given away to fans entering Rate Field on game day. — Sara MacHi, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

The visit to the 15th-century library marked the pope’s first visit, following in the footsteps of his predecessors. — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English pāpa, from Late Latin papa, from Greek pappas, papas, title of bishops, literally, papa

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pope

• cope
• dope
• grope
• lope
• mope
• nope
• rope
• scope
• shope
• slope
• soap
• stope

Kids Definition

pope

noun

ˈpōp 

often capitalized

: the head of the Roman Catholic Church

Biographical Definition

Pope 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈpōp 

Alexander 1688–1744 English poet

Popian

ˈpō-pē-ən 

adjective

or less commonly Popean

Pope

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

John 1822–1892 American general