1
: a clergyman in charge of a chapel
2
: a clergyman officially attached to a branch of the military, to an institution, or to a family or court
3
: a person chosen to conduct religious exercises (as at a meeting of a club or society)
4
: a clergyman appointed to assist a bishop (as at a liturgical function)
Examples of chaplain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While the majority of chaplains are Christian, the program includes individuals of Jewish and Muslim faiths.
—
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Last year, Texas allowed public schools to hire uncertified religious chaplains as counselors, and the legislature has pushed to require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.
—Amanda Musa, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
More:Poll chaplains' national mission: To protect the 'sacred right' to vote
Arizona
West Virginia
Florida
In these states, don't take pictures of your own ballot (period)
Some states allow photos of ballots before they are filled out, but not after, according to Ballotpedia.
—Sam Woodward, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024
One was a Wheaton College graduate who recently served as associate chaplain of discipleship at the college.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chaplain 
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.
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Last year, Texas allowed public schools to hire uncertified religious chaplains as counselors, and the legislature has pushed to require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.
—Amanda Musa, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
More:Poll chaplains' national mission: To protect the 'sacred right' to vote
Arizona
West Virginia
Florida
In these states, don't take pictures of your own ballot (period)
Some states allow photos of ballots before they are filled out, but not after, according to Ballotpedia.
—Sam Woodward, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024
One was a Wheaton College graduate who recently served as associate chaplain of discipleship at the college.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chaplain
Dictionary Entries Near chaplain
Cite this Entry
“Chaplain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaplain. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chaplain
noun
chap·lain
ˈchap-lən 
1
: a member of the clergy officially attached to a special group (as the army)
2
: a person chosen to conduct religious exercises (as for a club)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share