min·is·ter
ˈmi-nə-stər 
1
: agent
the angels are ministers of the divine will—
H. P. Liddon
H. P. Liddon2
a
: one officiating or assisting the officiant in church worship
b
: a clergyman or clergywoman especially of a Protestant communion
3
a
: the superior (see superior entry 2 sense 1) of one of several religious orders
called also minister-general
b
: the assistant to the rector or the bursar of a Jesuit house
4
: a high officer of state entrusted with the management of a division of governmental activities
the British Minister of Defence
5
a
: a diplomatic representative (such as an ambassador) accredited to the court (see court entry 1 sense 1c) or seat of government of a foreign state
b
: a diplomatic representative ranking below an ambassador
ministered; ministering
ˈmi-nə-st(ə-)riŋ
1
: to function as a minister of religion
2
: to give aid or service
minister to the sick
Synonyms
Examples of minister in a Sentence
Noun
the British ministers at the international peace conference
our minister gives an interesting sermon every week
Recent Examples on the WebDavid Shortell, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The verdict implicated Iran’s foreign minister, intelligence minister, then-President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Key partners in Netanyahu’s coalition — including Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, and Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister — are vocal opponents of a Palestinian state.
—Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
He was later appointed minister for health, a top cabinet post, in a major vote of confidence from Enda Kenny, then the taoiseach.
—Megan Specia, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
An architect and urban planner, Voltaire is a former minister for Haitians living abroad.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
But eventually, they are captured and discover that some of her former ministers, including Singer (Henry Goodman), have been working to bring down Zubak and his unhinged influence with the aid of the United States, who wish to see their interests in cobalt protected.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
At age 22, Williams became the minister of the town of Bradford, Massachusetts, often extolling the importance of reason in understanding God and Christian teachings during his sermons.
—Yaakov Zinberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
Israeli minister Benny Gantz called for elections to be held in September, two years before Netanyahu's term is set to end.
—NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
The priests had spent the last two decades ministering to U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their beneficiaries at the medical center.
—Heather Hunter, Washington Examiner, 9 Apr. 2023
The couple, along with Elizabeth Lumpkin, were active members of the Great Banquet, a Christian religious leadership program that ministered in jails and elsewhere.
—John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Apr. 2023
Lentz, who once ministered to Justin Bieber and other stars, was a pastor at Hillsong, until he was fired in 2020 after having an extramarital affair.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023
The ultimate goal is to replicate the entire job of the pancreatic control system, so that patients will no longer have to minister to themselves.
—Boris Kovatchev, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Nov. 2021
While many believe Patrick was responsible for bringing Christianity to Ireland, History.com reports his mission was to minister to existing Irish Christians as well as convert non-Christians.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2023
Deprived of face-to-face contact with his parishioners during the height of the pandemic, Michael Coren, an Anglican priest, had to get creative to minister to the sick, the dying, the elderly, and the lonely.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 19 Jan. 2023
The trip will also allow Francis to minister to Bahrain’s Catholic community, which numbers around 80,000 in a country of around 1.5 million.
—Nicole Winfield, ajc, 3 Nov. 2022
Noun
The country’s security minister, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, has confirmed that the federal election authority received Gaytan’s request for protection in March and forwarded it to a local authority.
—David Shortell, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The verdict implicated Iran’s foreign minister, intelligence minister, then-President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Key partners in Netanyahu’s coalition — including Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, and Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister — are vocal opponents of a Palestinian state.
—Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
He was later appointed minister for health, a top cabinet post, in a major vote of confidence from Enda Kenny, then the taoiseach.
—Megan Specia, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
An architect and urban planner, Voltaire is a former minister for Haitians living abroad.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
But eventually, they are captured and discover that some of her former ministers, including Singer (Henry Goodman), have been working to bring down Zubak and his unhinged influence with the aid of the United States, who wish to see their interests in cobalt protected.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
At age 22, Williams became the minister of the town of Bradford, Massachusetts, often extolling the importance of reason in understanding God and Christian teachings during his sermons.
—Yaakov Zinberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
Israeli minister Benny Gantz called for elections to be held in September, two years before Netanyahu's term is set to end.
—NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Verb
Jor-El’s mother, Theresa Sellars, ministered the ceremony in a Supergirl costume.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
The priests had spent the last two decades ministering to U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their beneficiaries at the medical center.
—Heather Hunter, Washington Examiner, 9 Apr. 2023
The couple, along with Elizabeth Lumpkin, were active members of the Great Banquet, a Christian religious leadership program that ministered in jails and elsewhere.
—John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Apr. 2023
Lentz, who once ministered to Justin Bieber and other stars, was a pastor at Hillsong, until he was fired in 2020 after having an extramarital affair.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023
The ultimate goal is to replicate the entire job of the pancreatic control system, so that patients will no longer have to minister to themselves.
—Boris Kovatchev, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Nov. 2021
While many believe Patrick was responsible for bringing Christianity to Ireland, History.com reports his mission was to minister to existing Irish Christians as well as convert non-Christians.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2023
Deprived of face-to-face contact with his parishioners during the height of the pandemic, Michael Coren, an Anglican priest, had to get creative to minister to the sick, the dying, the elderly, and the lonely.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 19 Jan. 2023
The trip will also allow Francis to minister to Bahrain’s Catholic community, which numbers around 80,000 in a country of around 1.5 million.
—Nicole Winfield, ajc, 3 Nov. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'minister.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near minister
Cite this Entry
“Minister.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minister. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
minister
1 of 2 noun
min·is·ter
ˈmin-ə-stər
1
a
: one who performs religious ceremonies in church services
b
: a member of the clergy of a Protestant church
2
: a high official who heads a department of the government
3
: a government representative in a foreign country
minister
2 of 2 verb
ministered; ministering
-st(ə-)riŋ
: to give aid : serve
minister to the sick
ministration
noun
ˌmin-ə-ˈstrā-shən
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share