bishop

noun

bish·​op ˈbi-shəp How to pronounce bishop (audio)
plural bishops
Synonyms of bishopnext
1
: someone having spiritual or ecclesiastical supervision over others: such as
a
: an Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, or Roman Catholic clergyperson 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

Examples of bishop in a Sentence

the Bishop of New York
Recent Examples on the Web In 1968, at age 38, he was named an auxiliary bishop, the youngest bishop in the country at the time. —Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024 Gumbleton served as the 10th auxiliary bishop of Detroit from 1968 until his retirement in 2006. —Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 5 Apr. 2024 Clerics negotiate with cartel bosses In late February, bishops in Guerrero brokered a truce between the Familia Michoacana and Tlacos crime groups. —Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024 In spring 2018, over 100 French bishops signed a statement speaking out against the act, according to The Pilot, the Archdiocese of Boston’s official newspaper. —Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Creech requested the presence of an Episcopal bishop the morning of his execution. —Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 28 Feb. 2024 Another legend says the holiday is named for St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was also sentenced to death under Claudius II. —Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2024 Its vessel is shaped like a bishop on a chess board, and so are the bottles for the other nine extraits de parfum that debuted alongside it. —Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024 The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington criticized Trump after the moment. —David Jackson, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bishop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bisshop, from Old English bisceop, from Late Latin episcopus, from Greek episkopos, literally, overseer, from epi- + skeptesthai to look — more at spy

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bishop was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing bishop

Dictionary Entries Near bishop

Bisho

bishop

Bishop

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Cite this Entry

“Bishop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bishop. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

bishop

noun
bish·​op ˈbish-əp How to pronounce bishop (audio)
1
: a high-ranking member of various sects of the Christian clergy usually in charge of a diocese
2
: a chess piece that moves diagonally
Etymology

Old English bisceop "bishop," from Latin episcopus (same meaning), from Greek episkopos, literally, "overseer," from epi- "on, over" and skopos "watcher, goal, object" — related to episcopal, horoscope, scope

Word Origin
The Old English word bisceop, from which we get our modern English word bishop, comes to us from the Latin word episcopus. Like many other Latin words connected with religion and the church, this was borrowed from Greek, the language in which the New Testament was written. The Greek word episkopos, meaning literally "overseer," was first used of officials in government and later came to be used for church leaders. In the Bible the word meaning "bishop" and the word meaning "priest" were used for the same thing. It was not until much later that the bishop did indeed become overseer of a large district, or diocese.

Biographical Definition

Bishop 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

Bish·​op ˈbi-shəp How to pronounce Bishop (audio)
Elizabeth 1911–1979 American poet

Bishop

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

J(ohn) Michael 1936–     American microbiologist
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