presbyter

noun

Definition of presbyternext
as in bishop

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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 presbyter This would be the case also for an apostate, heretic, schismatic bishop, presbyter, or deacon. — Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021 Before coming to Birmingham, Webster had served 18 years as executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Sierra Blanca in southern New Mexico. — Greg Garrison, AL.com, 19 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for presbyter
  1. bishop
  2. prelate
  3. abbot
  4. archbishop
  5. dean
  6. pastor
  7. deaconess
  8. diocesan
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
Noun
  • The group was founded in 1970 in Switzerland by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a French prelate, but five years later was officially suppressed by the Bishop of Fribourg.
    — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
  • In roughly 33 hours over the course of two days, the diverse group of international prelates elected Prevost on the fourth ballot.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
Definition of prelate
Noun
  • The men were also ordered to return more than 300 million baht (about $9 million) to the hospice at Wat Phra Bat Namphu temple in the central province of Lopburi, where Alongkot had served as abbot.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The abbot eventually suspended the monk from his clerical duties a few months ago and the pair’s relationship worsened, per the outlet.
    — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of abbot
Noun
  • Bishop’s Lodge dates to the 1860s when Santa Fe’s first archbishop, Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy, built a chapel and private residence here.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The pilgrims were going to a prayer site in Nakuru County, west of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, said Martin Kivuva, archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of archbishop
Noun
  • He was nominated for the award by his supervisor at Moraine Valley, Terra Jacobson, dean of Learning Resources, who also teaches a graduate class at Dominican, along with colleagues Marie Martino and Jayne Killackey.
    — Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Guzman, a former law school dean who became provost in 2023, faced similar tests over protests and free speech.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of dean
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
  • Then in 1964, Parks became a deaconess in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
    — Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025
  • In her younger years, Webb was an avid churchgoer in Baltimore, Maryland alongside her father, a deacon, and her mother, a deaconess, who met in a church choir.
    — Robyn Mowatt, ELLE, 22 June 2023
Definition of deaconess
Noun
  • The first is the strikingly Gothic diocesan throne, which sits in the cathedral choir and dates from the Victorian era.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
  • The diocesan website includes a statement from Dallas Bishop Edward Burns connecting the need for social distancing with the story of the Good Samaritan.
    — David Tarrant, Dallas News, 6 Apr. 2020
Definition of diocesan

Browse Nearby Words

presbyopic
presbyter
presbyteries
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Cite this Entry

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

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about presbyter

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