presbytery

noun

Definition of presbyterynext
as in episcopate

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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 presbytery Casa Carolina Hotel What was originally the presbytery of the Santa Catalina de Alejandría Cathedral is now one of Cartagena's newest boutique hotels, Casa Carolina. — Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2026 Inside Brixworth Church The choir, or presbytery—the heart of the church—is separated from the nave by a large arch. — David Nikel, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024 Gretta wanted my grandparents to join her and a small group of other congregants in a formal complaint to the presbytery. — Aryn Kyle, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024 After the service, William and Kate headed to the cathedral’s presbytery, where the princess laid a bouquet of flowers in front of a portrait of the queen. — Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Sep. 2023 Reports indicate the presbytery doesn’t have a formal security program for its churches and schools but that members have worked together to share best practices and improve safety. — Savannah Tryens-Fernandes | [email protected], al, 31 Mar. 2023 The church linked to the school is a member of the presbytery, which includes congregations in middle Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. — Travis Loller, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Mar. 2023 The national presbytery of the Assemblies of God defrocked Swaggart, removing his credentials and ministerial license. — Paul Grein, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for presbytery
  1. episcopate
  2. hierarchy
  3. clergy
  4. diaconate
  5. church
Noun
  • The diaconate represents the Church’s third degree of holy orders, below the presbyterate, or priests, and episcopate, or bishops.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025
  • Vatican observers have long speculated that Francis saw Prevost as a potential successor, especially given his rapid rise and central role in shaping the modern episcopate.
    — Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
Definition of episcopate
Noun
  • The film’s symmetrical compositions, the careful placement of characters within these distinctive spaces, all serve to create a sense of immovable social hierarchy and repression.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Decades earlier, Atlanta had thrown its own enormous party, celebrating a fantasy of Southern womanhood while reinforcing the racial and social hierarchies of the real South—and conveniently leaving the horrors of slavery out of the picture.
    — Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of hierarchy
Noun
  • Dozens of clergy — Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant — have been jailed, silenced or forced into exile for protesting the 2020 election.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The patron saint of charitable societies, he is primarily recognized for his charity and compassion for the poor, though he is also known for his reform of the clergy and for his early role in opposing Jansenism.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of clergy
Noun
  • Two commissions studying the question of women in the diaconate, keeping discernment alive even without doctrinal change.
    — Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
  • During the liturgical celebration, seminarian William O’Donnell, 25, will be ordained to the transitional diaconate.
    — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
Definition of diaconate
Noun
  • His family and church identified him as Sebastian Ebert, according to WKRN.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Uruguay's secularism has roots in the weakness of its colonial church.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of church

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presbyters
presbytery
preschool
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Cite this Entry

“Presbytery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presbytery. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on presbytery

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about presbytery

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