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

Leo, the first American pope, will instead spend the Fourth of July on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, the arrival point for many desperate migrants trying to reach Europe from Africa. —ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026

But history’s first American pope mentioned attacks that targeted a school, an apparent reference to the missile strike on a girls’ elementary school in southern Iran on the first day of the war that killed more than 165 people, most of them children. —Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026

The gesture was acclaimed by supporters of a humble pope but attracted criticism from conservatives, who accused him of divesting the papacy of a sacred element. —CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026

The focus now was on how the next pope could continue his predecessor’s reforms and, crucially, exhibit a prophetic spirit which engaged with the world. —Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 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