priest

noun

ˈprēst How to pronounce priest (audio)
Definition of priestnext
as in preacher
a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church searched for a priest who could perform an exorcism

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 priest Players from that 1951 side have strongly refuted the story, while the priest at its centre has never been identified. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 27 July 2026 The doors, which are not found in Homer’s poem, are evocative of the screen between priest and penitent in Catholic confession—a setting that Nolan, who was raised Catholic, would be familiar with. — Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026 The fabric above the bed is from a kesa robe, worn by some Buddhist priests. — Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 25 July 2026 The police suspect Juggut Singh, a Sikh peasant with a criminal record who, on the night of the killing, was secretly meeting Nooran, the daughter of a Muslim priest and weaver. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for priest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for priest
  1. preacher
  2. cleric
  3. clergyman
  4. bishop
  5. minister
  6. deacon
  7. pastor
  8. reverend
Noun
  • John Lewis Dyer, an itinerant Methodist preacher, arrived with the earliest prospectors in 1862.
    — John Meyer, Denver Post, 26 July 2026
  • Videos posted on social media show street preachers speaking with multiple police officers outside the event.
    — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026
Definition of preacher
Noun
  • Voice of America’s Persian Service began airing in its current form in 1979, shortly after the Iranian Revolution toppled the Shah and installed the Islamist clerics who rule the country to this day.
    — Marc Fisher, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
  • Yet the mental horizons of Maucci and his associates were wider and more mobile than those of the big shots, small-time lawyers, and clerics who’d remained to vegetate in their old Lunigiana.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026
Definition of cleric
Noun
  • Such details include McCartney’s bare feet and opposite stride and the other members’ attire (Lennon’s white supposedly represents a clergyman, Starr’s black a mourner, and Harrison’s denim a gravedigger).
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 July 2026
  • Robin, our hero, is the son of a country clergyman.
    — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026
Definition of clergyman
Noun
  • Man of books and learning Several of the videos show Athanasius of Alexandria, a fourth-century bishop and theologian traditionally considered one of the church fathers.
    — Denva Gallant, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
  • Juan José Gerardi Conedera (born December 27, 1922, Guatemala City, Guatemala—killed April 26, 1998, Guatemala City) was a Guatemalan Roman Catholic bishop and human rights activist.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026
Definition of bishop
Noun
  • South Korea’s finance minister has apologized for launching the riskier products without careful consideration.
    — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • But opposition voices and even Spain’s defense minister have asked for Morocco to give a more detailed explanation on its response to the crisis, which was fueled by social media posts encouraging people to cross the frontier.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of minister
Noun
  • Among the residential buildings were the home of a deacon named Tisous and another that researchers think may have originally been a house church before the construction of the basilica.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 6 July 2026
  • Among them were the house of Tisous, identified as a church deacon and dating to the second half of the fourth century, which archaeologists believe served as a house church before the construction of the city’s basilica.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Definition of deacon
Noun
  • One is in the church with the pastor expressing his anger about Lou being gone.
    — Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026
  • After spending 266 days in prison, Ezra Jin Mingri, the Christian pastor of the underground Zion Church in Beijing, arrived in the United States on July 5.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 28 July 2026
Definition of pastor
Noun
  • However, a reverend in Zambia — Billiance Chondwe — says he's noticed a change.
    — Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 18 June 2026
  • Spirtual foundation Astara, where Guidera reportedly served as a reverend, paid tribute to the late actor in an emotional social media post over the weekend.
    — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Definition of reverend

Phrases Containing priest

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pries
priest
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Cite this Entry

“Priest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/priest. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on priest

Nglish: Translation of priest for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about priest

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