pulpit

noun

pul·​pit ˈpu̇l-ˌpit 

ˈpəl-,

-pət

1

: an elevated platform or high reading desk used in preaching or conducting a worship service

2

a

: the preaching profession

b

: a preaching position

Examples of pulpit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On the Sunday after in-person church services in California shut down because of the pandemic, Steven Rodriguez stood behind his pulpit in a suit and tie and preached to about 100 empty seats for a prerecorded online sermon. —Autumn Alvarez, The Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2024

Johnson has been using the pulpit of the speaker’s office in Washington to attack the U.S. judicial system, criticizing the courts as biased against the former president, claiming the case is politically motivated by Democrats and insisting Trump has done nothing wrong. —Meg Kinnard, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2024

Last Monday, after a delay of more than half an hour due to technical difficulties, Trump participated in a glitchy two-hour-long conversation with Elon Musk that was live-streamed on X, formerly Twitter, a platform that Musk owns and has turned into his personal pulpit. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2024

Rabbi Sharon Brous, an influential leader in Los Angeles’s Jewish community, who had used her pulpit to direct attention to the injustice of the occupation, spoke for the many Jews who felt that Israeli loss had been met with indifference and, in some quarters, jubilation. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin pulpitum, from Latin, staging, platform

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pulpit

• bully pulpit
• from the pulpit
• in the pulpit
• jack-in-the-pulpit

Kids Definition

pulpit

noun

pul·​pit ˈpu̇l-ˌpit 

 also  ˈpəl-,

-pət

1

: a raised platform or high desk used in preaching or leading a worship service

2

: the preaching profession

3

: a job as a preacher