bishop
noun
bish·op
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Definition of bishop
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
: one having spiritual or ecclesiastical supervision: such as
a
: an Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, or Roman Catholic clergyman ranking above a priest, having authority to ordain and confirm, and typically governing a diocese
b
: any of various Protestant clerical officials who superintend other clergy
c
: a Mormon high priest presiding over a ward or over all other bishops and over the Aaronic priesthood
2
: either of two pieces of each color in a set of chessmen having the power to move diagonally across any number of adjoining unoccupied squares
3
: mulled port wine flavored with oranges and cloves
Bishop
biographical name (1)
Bish·op
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Definition of Bishop (Entry 2 of 3)
Elizabeth 1911–1979 American poet
Bishop
biographical name (2)Definition of Bishop (Entry 3 of 3)
John Michael 1936– American microbiologist
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Examples of bishop in a Sentence
Noun
the Bishop of New YorkRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
The findings, first reported by The Washington Post, determined Bransfield had spent church funds on dining out, liquor, personal travel and luxury items, as well as personal gifts to fellow bishops and cardinals in the U.S. and Vatican. — John Raby, baltimoresun.com, "Lawsuit accusing ex-West Virginia bishop of drunken sexual assault settled; replacement to be installed today," 22 Aug. 2019 The trial was convened as a synod with all the cardinals, bishops, and other ecclesiastical dignitaries in full attendance. — National Geographic, "In 897, the corpse of a pope was exhumed—to be put on trial.," 20 Aug. 2019 Fraudsters are targeting people of faith by posing as pastors, rabbis, priests, imams and bishops and asking them to donate gift cards for phony causes, the Federal Trade Commission warns. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, "Scam artists posing as religious leaders to dupe people of faith," 30 July 2019 Catholic bishops and Christian political activists have lobbied against a permanent program to help veterans conceive through IVF, instead preferring temporary programs that need renewal every year. — cleveland.com, "Racino slot revenue tops $1 billion for first time; still no budget: Capitol Letter," 9 July 2019 But those bills have fizzled in the face of opposition from Catholic bishops and others in favor of a temporary program that must be reauthorized every year, complicating efforts by eligible veterans to begin or extend their families. — NBC News, "Abortion arguments at play in limiting veterans' IVF benefit," 8 July 2019 It was attended by an Italian bishop and a Muslim imam, members of the local Nigerian community, and various Italian officials and sympathizers. — Abigail Haworth, Marie Claire, "The Lost Daughters of Salerno," 1 July 2019 The government requires bishops and priests to sign a declaration that the Catholic Church in China is independent, autonomous and self-administrating. — Eva Dou, WSJ, "Vatican Encourages Chinese Catholic Priests to Register With Beijing," 28 June 2019 The council summoned between 2,000 and 2,500 bishops and thousands of observers, auditors, sisters, laymen, and laywomen to four sessions at St. Peter’s Basilica over three years—an unprecedented level of openness driven by clear reformist zeal. — Andre Pagliarini, The New Republic, "Can Married Priests Help Save the Amazon?," 25 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bishop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for bishop
bishop
noun
English Language Learners Definition of bishop
: an official in some Christian religions who is ranked higher than a priest and who is usually in charge of church matters in a specific geographical area
: a piece in the game of chess that moves across the board at an angle
See the full definition for bishop in the English Language Learners Dictionary
bishop
noun
bish·op
| \ ˈbi-shəp
\
\
Kids Definition of bishop
1
: a member of the clergy of high rank
2
: a piece in the game of chess
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