cleric

noun

cler·​ic ˈkler-ik How to pronounce cleric (audio)
ˈkle-rik
: a member of the clergy

Examples of cleric in a Sentence

clerics were sharply divided on the issue of whether the war was morally justified
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.
The only militia that was permitted to keep its weapons after the civil war (on account of its ongoing fight against the Israeli occupation), Hezbollah today operates as a de facto state within a non-state, deciding Lebanon’s fate in tandem with clerics in Tehran. Youmna Melhem Chamieh, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025 Accusations that emerged earlier against McCarrick, who served as the archbishop of Newark and Washington, D.C., helped fuel the latest wave of the abuse crisis in 2018, along with disclosures from a Pennsylvania grand jury showing hundreds of abusive clerics in that state. Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Robert Herguth, Chicago Sun-Times, Journal Sentinel, 12 Dec. 2024 Hezbollah was led by Islamic cleric Hassan Nasrallah from 1992 until September of this year when he was killed in an Israeli Air Force strike on the terrorist group’s headquarters in Beirut. Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Oct. 2024 Founded by South Korean cleric David Jang in 2000, the university remains the subject of a labor trafficking and visa fraud probe by Homeland Security Investigations and could face charges, according to agency emails. Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cleric 

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin clericus

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cleric was in 1621

Dictionary Entries Near cleric

Cite this Entry

“Cleric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleric. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

cleric

noun
cler·​ic ˈkler-ik How to pronounce cleric (audio)
: a member of the clergy

More from Merriam-Webster on cleric

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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