minister

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA ^(key): /ˈmɪnɨstɚ/
• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ˈmɪnɪstə/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (UK)

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• Hyphenation: min‧is‧ter

Noun

Singular minister

Plural ministers

1. (countable) A minister is a politician who is in charge of a part of the government.

   The Minister of Defense has said that the army will remain in the city for at least two more weeks.

2. (countable) A minister is a person who acts officially in a Christian church.
   • Synonyms: priest, pastor and vicar

   The minister who performed our wedding ceremony was a great speaker.

Related words

• ministerial
• prime minister

Verb

Plain form minister

Third-person singular ministers

Past tense ministered

Past participle ministered

Present participle ministering

1. (intransitive) If you minister, you give help, especially through your words or by nursing.

   To minister, a church must be sensitive to what is hurting its community.

   Mother Theresa spent her life ministering to the sick and poor in India.