minister
a person authorized to conduct religious worship; member of the clergy; pastor.
a person authorized to administer sacraments, as at Mass.
a person appointed by or under the authority of a sovereign or head of a government to some high office of state, especially to that of head of an administrative department: the minister of finance.
a diplomatic representative accredited by one government to another and ranking next below an ambassador.: Compare envoy1 (def. 1).
a person acting as the agent or instrument of another.
to administer or apply: to minister the last rites.
Archaic. to furnish; supply.
to perform the functions of a religious minister.
to give service, care, or aid; attend, as to wants or necessities.: to minister to the needs of the hungry.
to contribute, as to comfort or happiness.
Origin of minister
1Other words for minister
Other words from minister
- pre·min·is·ter, verb (used without object)
- sub·min·is·ter, noun
- un·der·min·is·ter, noun
- un·min·is·tered, adjective
Words that may be confused with minister
Words Nearby minister
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use minister in a sentence
Suga often has been mentioned as one of many possible successors to Abe, especially in recent months as the prime minister scaled back public appearances and faced a series of political scandals involving friends and family.
How the son of strawberry pickers became Japan’s most likely choice for next prime minister | claychandler | September 3, 2020 | FortuneThere was a large anti-government protest planned for December 19 at the Red Fort in Delhi, which is a historic monument from where the prime minister traditionally delivers a televised address to the nation on independence day.
Podcast: How a 135-year-old law lets India shutdown the internet | Anthony Green | September 2, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThe policy, which granted exemptions on medical grounds, was backed by his minister for industry, science, and technology.
Australia won’t be the last country to wrestle with a mandatory coronavirus vaccine | Olivia Goldhill | August 20, 2020 | QuartzWhen the prime minister says, “No country would find 173 billion barrels of oil in the ground and just leave them there,” he’s not wrong.
This past July, May was replaced as prime minister by Boris Johnson, her former Foreign minister and, before that, the Mayor of London.
Domestically, the prime minister maintains the dubious line that he is the only man who can keep the still-fragile peace.
One of its top officials is the current minister of the interior in Baghad.
What an Iranian Funeral Tells Us About the Wars in Iraq | IranWire | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTEven those Christians who do want to minister amid the rancor of race and policing are missing the mark.
“I have coordinated with our foreign minister so we will borrow from other countries which have offered,” he said.
The Presumed Crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Is Nothing Like MH370 | Lennox Samuels | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHamish Marshall himself is a former staffer of Prime minister Harper.
How Canadian Oilmen Pinkwash the Keystone Pipeline | Jay Michaelson | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut,” said the prime minister of Flatland, starting a difficulty, “who is to be greatest chief?
The Giant of the North | R.M. BallantyneHe professed both to abominate and despise all mystery, refinement, and intrigue, either in a prince or a minister.
Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan SwiftOne of her humours was to unite the son of her minister, with a niece of the widowed Queen of Saint Germain's.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterThe minister's eye kept steady to one point; to raise the country he governed, to the utmost pinnacle of earthly grandeur.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterAll that was necessary was a slight knowledge of a Cabinet minister, and a smattering of schooling.
British Dictionary definitions for minister
/ (ˈmɪnɪstə) /
(esp in Presbyterian and some Nonconformist Churches) a member of the clergy
a person appointed to head a government department
any diplomatic agent accredited to a foreign government or head of state
short for minister plenipotentiary or envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary: See envoy 1 (def. 1)
Also called (in full): minister resident a diplomat ranking after an envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary
a person who attends to the needs of others, esp in religious matters
a person who acts as the agent or servant of a person or thing
(intr often foll by to) to attend to the needs (of); take care (of)
(tr) archaic to provide; supply
Origin of minister
1Derived forms of minister
- ministership, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for minister (1 of 2)
In many Protestant churches, the presiding clergyman. Ministers preach sermons; conduct services; officiate at baptisms, weddings, and funerals; and generally look after the needs of their congregation. Some Protestant churches refer to their clergy as pastors or preachers rather than ministers.
A title used in many countries for members of cabinets and similar public officials, who are roughly equivalent to the officials in the United States cabinet. For example, a minister of foreign affairs will have duties similar to those of the secretary of state of the United States.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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