pastor

1 of 3

noun (1)

pas·​tor ˈpa-stər 

plural pastors

: a spiritual overseer

especially : a clergyperson serving a local church or parish

pastorship

ˈpa-stər-ˌship 

noun

pastor

2 of 3

verb

pastored; pastoring ˈpa-st(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

: to serve as pastor of

pastor a church

pastor

3 of 3

noun (2)

pas·​tor pä-ˈstȯr 

chiefly Southwestern US

: herdsman

Examples of pastor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Chronister faced backlash from some in the Republican Party over his decision to arrest the pastor of a megachurch, Ronald Howard-Browne, who continued to hold services during the COVID-19 pandemic, violating lockdown restrictions, in 2020. —Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024

New Hope Presbyterian Church, a multiethnic congregation led by a Black female pastor in Anaheim, started a string orchestra in April, welcoming students, including those who may have trouble getting into and paying for music programs. —Deepa Bharath, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024

Verb

Lundqvist pastors an evangelical congregation in Uppsala, Sweden, called Word of Life Church, which has more than 3,200 members. —James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 July 2024

Donna Nez, who pastors the Hard Rock Community Church in northwest Arizona, also opposes the bill. —Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English pastour, from Anglo-French, from Latin pastor herdsman, from pascere to feed — more at food

Noun (2)

Spanish, from Latin

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1623, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

pastor

noun

pas·​tor

ˈpas-tər

: a minister or priest in charge of a church or parish

pastorship

-ˌship

noun