friar

Definition of friarnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of friar Its authors tell in previously unheard detail how Cardinal Robert Prevost, a low-key Augustinian friar from Chicago, had quietly garnered support from fellow cardinals as the conclave got underway but remained under the radar of wider attention as a serious candidate. Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026 The display marks a long saga over the friar’s remains and honors the 800th anniversary of his death. Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026 Miller, bald except for a minuscule friar’s ring of fuzz, won in a split decision. Matt Moret, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026 There once lived an Italian friar named Joseph, an almost exact contemporary of Descartes. Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for friar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for friar
Noun
  • Hosted by global best-selling author, award-winning storyteller, former monk and Chief Purpose Officer of Calm Jay Shetty, On Purpose With Jay Shetty brings fascinating conversations with some of the most insightful people in the world, with the mission to help others find purpose.
    Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
  • The work draws on earlier sources, including the 7th-century text Records of the Western Regions, which documents the travels of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang during his 16-year journey to India in search of sacred texts.
    Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
Noun
  • Throughout much of Buddhist history, and particularly in Theravada Buddhist contexts, mindfulness and its associated meditation methods have been the purview of mendicants (monks and nuns), who used mindfulness meditation to achieve trance states (jhana) leading to nirvana.
    Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
  • An internationally famous leader who lived a mendicant’s life.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Studio executives might not have had much interest in listening to a preacher from Tupelo, but parent companies could be threatened with viewer anger.
    Isaac Butler, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
  • In another era, Pratt would have been a welcome edition to the roster of bombastic Southern California preachers a la Aimee Semple McPherson, Chuck Smith and Gene Scott, as well as radio titans such as George Putnam and John Kobylt.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Noun
  • These people who see the theater as almost a monastic calling something of a higher order, and they’re brilliantly educated and funny.
    Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
  • As the numbers of women at the highest echelons of learning continue to grow, women will likewise expand their ability to take leadership roles in their monastic and lay communities – helping to improve other nuns’ education and protecting Tibetan culture in the process.
    Darcie Price-Wallace, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The reverend in charge of the largest cathedral in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has resigned after being arrested and accused of stealing more than $1,000 worth of baseball trading cards.
    Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
  • South African President Cyril Ramaphosa thanked the late reverend for his work to end South Africa’s apartheid system.
    Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In 1994 Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was also a cleric with the rank of ayatollah, issued a fatwa forbidding the practice of self-flagellation.
    Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 May 2026
  • Some relatives broke down upon seeing the coffins, as a Muslim cleric led funeral prayers under tight security.
    Riaz Khan, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
Noun
  • The court found that Shi used his positions, including as the temple abbot, to illegally embezzle more than $19 million alone or in conspiracy with others, between 2003 and 2025, CCTV reported.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
  • According to a relative of Nathan who provided some of the sources Amit studied, the abbot reportedly also wrote letters to the Vatican and to monasteries in Switzerland pleading for a safe exit for Wolfgang.
    Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • John Carroll, who became the first American bishop in 1790, was devoted to Mary throughout his life.
    Bridget Retzloff, The Conversation, 2 June 2026
  • Pham is the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.
    Michael Pham, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Friar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/friar. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on friar

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster