ordained; ordaining; ordains
1
: to invest (see invest entry 2 sense 1) officially (as by the laying on of hands) with ministerial or priestly authority
was ordained as a priest
2
a
: to establish or order by appointment, decree, or law : enact
we the people … do ordain and establish this Constitution—
U.S. Constitution
U.S. Constitution
b
: destine, foreordain
It is futile to try to avoid what destiny has ordained.
: to issue an order
so the gods have ordained
ordainer
noun
Examples of ordain in a Sentence
She is an ordained minister.
The process was ordained by law.
Recent Examples on the Web
One of the stars, Craig Wallace, has been ordained.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Married men can be ordained as deacons while women cannot, although historians say women served as deacons in the early Christian church.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
Born in Chicago, Leo XIV attended Villanova University and was ordained in 1982.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Joseph Cardinal Tobin, Archbishop of Newark Tobin was born in Detroit in 1952, ordained in 1978 and was appointed as archbishop of Indianapolis in 2012 by Benedict XVI.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ordain
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Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Married men can be ordained as deacons while women cannot, although historians say women served as deacons in the early Christian church.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
Born in Chicago, Leo XIV attended Villanova University and was ordained in 1982.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Joseph Cardinal Tobin, Archbishop of Newark Tobin was born in Detroit in 1952, ordained in 1978 and was appointed as archbishop of Indianapolis in 2012 by Benedict XVI.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ordain
Cite this Entry
“Ordain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ordain. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ordain
verb
or·dain
ȯr-ˈdān 
1
: to make a person a Christian minister or priest by a special ceremony
2
a
: decree entry 2
it was ordained by law
b
: destine sense 1
we seem ordained to fail
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