plural clergies
1
: a group ordained to perform pastoral or sacerdotal functions in a Christian church
Members of the clergy have been invited to participate in an interfaith service.
2
: the official or sacerdotal class of a non-Christian religion
Buddhist clergy
Examples of clergy in a Sentence
Local clergy have been invited to participate in an interfaith service.
a member of the clergy
Recent Examples on the Web
Amid an ongoing court battle over clergy access to the west suburban ICE facility, Catholic ministers entered the building and, in the traditional Holy Thursday ritual, washed the feet of 14 detainees.
—
Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
This comes as a federal judge allowed the practice after clergy members sued the Department of Homeland Security for being banned.
—Frankie McLister, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
The lower classes and the clergy had always hated the Castilians, and the Portuguese aristocracy and the commercial classes—previously content with the patronage and the economic opportunities that the union with Spain had provided—had become dissatisfied during the preceding 20 years.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
The Church of the Holy Speluchre has historically remained open to clergy even during major crises, including past wars and pandemics, making Palm Sunday’s restriction a rare flashpoint in already strained relations between Israel and the Vatican.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clergy
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Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
This comes as a federal judge allowed the practice after clergy members sued the Department of Homeland Security for being banned.
—Frankie McLister, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
The lower classes and the clergy had always hated the Castilians, and the Portuguese aristocracy and the commercial classes—previously content with the patronage and the economic opportunities that the union with Spain had provided—had become dissatisfied during the preceding 20 years.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
The Church of the Holy Speluchre has historically remained open to clergy even during major crises, including past wars and pandemics, making Palm Sunday’s restriction a rare flashpoint in already strained relations between Israel and the Vatican.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clergy
Cite this Entry
“Clergy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clergy. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clergy
noun
cler·gy
ˈklər-jē 
plural clergies
: the group of religious officials (as priests, ministers, or rabbis) specially prepared and authorized to conduct religious services
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