1
general::
noun in Christianity ADJ. local, parish, village | celibate | married | woman | Anglican, (Roman) Catholic, Jesuit, etc. VERB + PRIEST become, be ordained (as) PRIEST + VERB celebrate sth, officiate (at sth) the priest who was celebrating Mass in some other religions ADJ. chief, high a ceremony led by the High Priest (figurative) He was considered the high priest of finance at that time. | temple | Brahmin, Buddhist, etc.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
priest
someone who is specially trained to perform religious duties and ceremonies in the Christian church:
• a Catholic priest • a Buddhist priest • Women priests are much more common these days. • The priest who married us was very friendly and helpful.
bishop
a priest of high rank in some branches of the Christian church, who is the head of all the churches and priests in a large area:
• the Bishop of Oxford • a meeting of bishops
vicar
a priest in the Church of England who is in charge of a church in a particular area:
• our local vicar
preacher
someone who gives the sermon (= a religious talk as part of a church service ) in some Protestant churches:
• a Methodist preacher
minister
the formal word for any priest in some branches of the Christian church:
• In 1843, 450 ministers of the church broke away from the established church of Scotland.
chaplain
someone, especially a priest, who takes care of the religious needs of an organization such as a college, hospital, prison, or the military:
• the prison chaplain
pastor
American English someone who is in charge of the prayers, ceremonies etc in some branches of the Protestant church:
• a Baptist pastor
rabbi
the person who is in charge of the prayers, ceremonies etc in the Jewish religion:
• Israel’s chief rabbis
mullah
a Muslim teacher of law and religion:
• The people turned to their traditional leaders, the mullahs.
holy man
someone who is treated with great respect by people who belong to a religion:
• A Sadhu, or Hindu holy man, was performing yoga on the banks of the River Ganges.
the clergy
the official leaders in organized religions, such as the priests, rabbis, and mullahs:
• Around 30 members of the clergy gathered for the meeting.
clergyman
a male member of the clergy – used especially in the past:
• His youngest son decided to become a clergyman.
Longman-Thesaurus