as in to depose
to remove from a position of prominence or power (as a throne)
the movie's director was defrocked for going way over budget
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Recent Examples of defrock
One exception is former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked in 2019 after abuse allegations surfaced.
—
Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2023
Francis originally set out the norms as a response to the decades of cover-up exposed by a Pennsylvania grand jury report and the scandal over then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was eventually defrocked for abusing adults as well as minors.
—Nicole Winfield, al, 25 Mar. 2023
None of the priests were defrocked.
—Monica Scislowska, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2023
Under Ratzinger’s watch as cardinal and pope, the Vatican authorized fast-track administrative procedures to defrock egregious abusers.
—Nicole Winfield, ajc, 1 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for defrock
Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2023
Francis originally set out the norms as a response to the decades of cover-up exposed by a Pennsylvania grand jury report and the scandal over then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was eventually defrocked for abusing adults as well as minors.
—Nicole Winfield, al, 25 Mar. 2023
None of the priests were defrocked.
—Monica Scislowska, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2023
Under Ratzinger’s watch as cardinal and pope, the Vatican authorized fast-track administrative procedures to defrock egregious abusers.
—Nicole Winfield, ajc, 1 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for defrock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defrock
Verb
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Mangione is being held pretrial at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, alongside deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.—
Ben Brachfeld,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
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Plaintiffs have sought to depose Wexner based on his service on OSU’s board of trustees during a period when Strauss was under internal investigation and when his full-time employment with the university was terminated.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And for Frank at Tottenham, the frustration heard inside their stadium on Sunday was nothing new, with supporters calling for a head coach only appointed last summer to be sacked following defeat there to local rivals West Ham last month.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Young set career highs with 23 touchdowns and 3,011 passing yards and was also sacked 27 times, the lowest mark of his career.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defrock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defrock. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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