Vatican

noun

Vat·​i·​can ˈva-ti-kən 

1

: the papal headquarters in Rome

2

: the papal government

Vatican adjective

Examples of Vatican in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Reporters visiting the Eternal City to cover Johnson’s tour have also shared accounts of Vatican City streets dotted with Chicagoans waving four-star flags. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026

Anthropic cofounder and head of research Chris Olah was in Vatican City when the pope released his encyclical this week to share concurring remarks. — Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

Meanwhile Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah was invited to speak at the presentation of the encyclical in Vatican City. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 26 May 2026

At a Vatican event presenting the text on Monday, the co-founder of Anthropic, one of the world's top AI companies, thanked Leo for addressing the problems raised by the disruptive, new technology. — Joshua McElwee, USA Today, 25 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin (mons) Vāticānus, hill on the west bank of the Tiber, the traditional site of the apostle Peter's tomb, on which a basilica was built in the 4th century

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Vatican

• the Vatican