parson

noun

Definition of parsonnext
as in vicar

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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 parson Sofa in collage by Peter Dunham Textiles; Hot pink laminate parsons tables by Two Worlds Arts; Soft edge chairs by Hay; Madeleine Castaing striped carpet by Codimat Collection. — Michael Boodro, Architectural Digest, 18 Apr. 2025 Writing in the eighteenth century, Smith compared energetic and often sensationalist Methodist preachers with the more reserved and cerebral parsons of the Church of England. — Shadi Hamid, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2024 The other is her violent stepfather, who, in this version, is also the church’s parson (Steven Pasquale). — Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 His living room included an antique Japanese screen hanging on a white wall above a leather banquette with pillow sable heads mounted on silver pedestals and a parsons table. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, 6 Dec. 2023 See All Example Sentences for parson
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parson
  1. vicar
  2. clergyman
  3. pastor
  4. rector
  5. churchman
  6. padre
  7. shepherd
  8. bishop
Noun
  • The couple were married by a female vicar, per the Daily Mail.
    — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
  • Nearly every murder is solved by the end of the episode, but despite the unusual twist of having the village vicar team up with the police, the real action comes from the relationships among the characters.
    — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 14 June 2026
Definition of vicar
Noun
  • The seeds are then planted in California, where Eddie Anderson, a clergyman, political organizer and the founder of Freedom Farms Collective, helps oversee their growth.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Costco ditches its Kirkland beer Pope Leo XIV, who grew up listening to popular American television preacher Archbishop Fulton Sheen, praised his fellow Illinois clergyman as an inspiration today on the eve of Sheen’s beatification.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of clergyman
Noun
  • Caleb Flynn, a pastor who competed on American Idol season 12, has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, AP News reports.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Bakker was forced to resign from his empire, turning over operations to pastor and broadcaster Jerry Falwell.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of pastor
Noun
  • In 2018, Father Jan Kevin Schmidt, rector of the cathedral, requested that the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments grant the title of minor basilica to the historic church in Cincinnati.
    — Jennie Key, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Pernkopf was a Nazi functionary who became dean of the medical faculty in 1938 and rector of the university in 1943.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of rector
Noun
  • Meanwhile, churchmen claimed the authority to restrain violence, encouraged just wars and threatened violent behaviors with spiritual sanctions.
    — Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Not all birth rituals depended on the intercession of a saint or the authority of a churchman.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of churchman
Noun
  • The Mexican fan palm, supposedly brought here by the mission-building padres to supply Palm Sunday foliage, can grow taller, maybe 10 stories, and skinnier, and can dip and sway camera-readily in the wind.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
  • The group has since evolved to the comité de padres and grown to roughly 30 mothers.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024
Definition of padre
Noun
  • Another showed Lee on the floor of a gym in chocolate-chip camouflage pants, doing a situp while a German shepherd holds down his feet.
    — Eamon Javers, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
  • So has his dog, a German shepherd and very good boy named Odin.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of shepherd
Noun
  • On April 18, 1049, the pope exempted a nunnery in Alsace – now in Sainte-Croix-en-Plaine, France – from the legal authority and supervision of the local bishop.
    — Joëlle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Warren Jeffs then appointed Nephi Jeffs, another brother, as bishop.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of bishop

Browse Nearby Words

parsing
parson
parsonage
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Cite this Entry

“Parson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parson. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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