priest

noun

ˈprēst 

plural priests

: someone who is authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion especially as a mediatory agent between humans and God

specifically : an Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, or Roman Catholic clergyperson ranking below a bishop and above a deacon

Synonyms of priest

• preacher
• cleric
• clergyman
• bishop
• minister
• deacon
• pastor
• reverend
• clerical

Examples of priest in a Sentence

He was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest.

searched for a priest who could perform an exorcism

Recent Examples on the Web

It is based on the belief that the priest acts in the person of Christ who was male. —Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2026

Once the procession — with children sitting on top of the pole in a long row — arrived at the market square, the Catholic priest, who had just finished his Mayday Mass, blessed the tree and the young men with holy water. —ABC News, 1 May 2026

The call for state funding is championed by Father Manny Alvarez, a priest at the Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables, who described the effort as a personal mission. —Marybel Rodriguez, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026

She was pulled into a scheme involving a man who posed as a priest, another posing as an immigration judge, and another posing as Oscar Carrillo, an attorney licensed in Texas who practices tax law. —Naisha Roy, ProPublica, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English preist, from Old English prēost, ultimately from Late Latin presbyter — more at presbyter

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing priest

• high priest
• priest-ridden
• worker-priest

Rhymes for priest

• beast
• ceased
• creased
• east
• feast
• fleeced
• geest
• greased
• leased
• least
• pieced
• yeast

Kids Definition

priest

noun

ˈprēst 

: a person who has the authority to lead or perform religious ceremonies

Etymology

Old English prēost "priest," derived from Latin presbyter "priest, elder," from Greek presbyteros, comparative form of presbys "old man, elder"