ministry

noun

min·​is·​try ˈmi-nə-strē 

plural ministries

1

: ministration

the ingenuity of destruction … had outrun the ministry of healing

—Dixon Wecter

2

: the office, duties, or functions of a minister

was well prepared for the ministry

3

: the body of ministers of religion : clergy

joined the Presbyterian ministry

4

: a person or thing through which something is accomplished : agency, instrumentality

heroic believers become such by the ministry of heroic pain

—Austin Phelps

5

: the period of service or office of a minister or ministry

Many reforms were enacted during his ministry.

6

often capitalized

a

: the body of ministers governing a nation or state from which a smaller cabinet (see cabinet entry 1 sense 3b) is sometimes selected

b

: the group of ministers constituting a cabinet

7

a

: a government department presided over by a minister

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

b

: the building in which the business of a ministry is transacted

Synonyms

• agency
• agent
• instrument
• instrumentality
• machinery
• means
• medium
• organ
• vehicle

Examples of ministry in a Sentence

a member of the ministry

She learned a lot during her first year of ministry.

Recent Examples on the Web

Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and Iran's foreign ministry for comment. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025

The Chinese foreign ministry denied the accusations. —Barak Ravid, Axios, 9 Apr. 2025

The big story China’s foreign ministry press hall in Beijing fell silent for close to half a minute on Monday afternoon. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025

Such allegations have grown out of a wave of pro-Palestinian protests at Harvard and other schools against Israel's military assault on Gaza that has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, and led to genocide and war crimes allegations that Israel denies. —Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ministerie, minstri "personal service, religious office, position in a church," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French ministere "service, duty," going back to Old French, borrowed from Latin ministerium "activity of a servant, duty, task, support" (Late Latin, "ecclesiastical service") from minister "servant, minister entry 1" + -ium, denominal suffix of occupations

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ministry

• the ministry

Kids Definition

ministry

noun

min·​is·​try ˈmin-ə-strē 

plural ministries

1

: the action of ministering

2

: the office, duties, or work of a minister

3

a

: the body of ministers governing a nation or state

b

: a government department headed by a minister

c

: the building in which a ministry is housed