bishop

noun

bish·​op ˈbi-shəp How to pronounce bishop (audio)
plural bishops
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
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.
Leo spent 20 years as a missionary priest and bishop in Peru, and working side by side with Pope Francis, helped suppress the group. Amalia Huot-Marchand, The Hill, 21 June 2025 Columban monasteries remained free of the control of local bishops and were instead directly subordinate to the pope. Bernd Roeck june 16, Literary Hub, 16 June 2025 It had been named for Confederate Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk, an Episcopal bishop turned general who died in battle during the Atlanta Campaign. Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025 At the center of the tiles is a coat of arms, identified by archaeologists as the emblem of Józef Lewicki, the Uniate bishop of Chełm from 1711 to 1730. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for bishop

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

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bishop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bishop. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on bishop

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