pulpit

noun

pul·​pit ˈpu̇l-ˌpit How to pronounce pulpit (audio)
ˈpəl-,
-pət
1
: an elevated platform or high reading desk used in preaching or conducting a worship service
2
a
: the preaching profession
b
: a preaching position

Examples of pulpit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Mills stood at the pulpit and described her transition from Yale-resenting townie to union organizer. E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023 The House is so passionate about repealing this that Huston came down from his pulpit to speak on the floor about it, which is rare. Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024 Lilienthal was credited as the first American rabbi to preach from a church pulpit. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 21 Jan. 2024 Magid, a professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth and an ordained rabbi with a pulpit on Fire Island, was raised in a New York suburb by secular Socialist parents with ties to the Workmen’s Circle, then a mutual-aid society devoted to the cultivation of Yiddish cultural autonomy. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024 From the center of the cup, a pollen-bearing spike peeks out, resembling a person standing in a pulpit. Nadia Hassani, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Jan. 2024 Carson stood behind the pulpit, sermonizing to people wearing Trump garb. Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024 Lear understood that as big a platform as television offered, the most crucial platform for civil discourse was the American dinner table or the carefully situated living room, with the television as a pulpit. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2023 Since most towns were too poor to employ more than one rabbi, a man who wanted a good pulpit needed to be able to pass the government test. Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pulpit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin pulpitum, from Latin, staging, platform

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pulpit was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near pulpit

Cite this Entry

“Pulpit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pulpit. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pulpit

noun
pul·​pit ˈpu̇l-ˌpit How to pronounce pulpit (audio)
 also  ˈpəl-,
-pət
1
: a raised platform or high desk used in preaching or leading a worship service
2
: the preaching profession
3
: a job as a preacher
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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