a person authorized to conduct religious worship; member of the clergy; pastor.
a person authorized to administer sacraments, as at Mass.
a person appointed by or under the authority of a sovereign or head of a government to some high office of state, especially to that of head of an administrative department: the minister of finance.
a diplomatic representative accredited by one government to another and ranking next below an ambassador.Compare envoy1 (def. 1).
a person acting as the agent or instrument of another.
verb (used with object)
to administer or apply: to minister the last rites.
Archaic. to furnish; supply.
verb (used without object)
to perform the functions of a religious minister.
to give service, care, or aid; attend, as to wants or necessities.: to minister to the needs of the hungry.
to contribute, as to comfort or happiness.
Origin of minister
1250–1300; (noun) Middle English ministre, minister (<Old French ministre) <Latin minister servant, equivalent to minis- (variant of minus a lesser amount; akin to minorminor) + -ter noun suffix; replacing Middle English menistre<Old French <Latin, as above; (v.) Middle English ministren<Old French ministrer<Latin ministrāre to act as a servant, attend, derivative of minister
SYNONYMS FOR minister
9 answer, tend, oblige.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR minister ON THESAURUS.COM
OTHER WORDS FROM minister
pre·min·is·ter,verb (used without object)sub·min·is·ter,nounun·der·min·is·ter,nounun·min·is·tered,adjective
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH minister
clergy, cleric, imam, minister , pastor, priest, rabbi
Words nearby minister
miniseries, minish, miniski, miniskirt, ministate, minister, ministerial, ministerialist, ministerium, minister of state, Minister of the Crown
Suga often has been mentioned as one of many possible successors to Abe, especially in recent months as the prime minister scaled back public appearances and faced a series of political scandals involving friends and family.
How the son of strawberry pickers became Japan’s most likely choice for next prime minister|claychandler|September 3, 2020|Fortune
There was a large anti-government protest planned for December 19 at the Red Fort in Delhi, which is a historic monument from where the prime minister traditionally delivers a televised address to the nation on independence day.
Podcast: How a 135-year-old law lets India shutdown the internet|Anthony Green|September 2, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The policy, which granted exemptions on medical grounds, was backed by his minister for industry, science, and technology.
Australia won’t be the last country to wrestle with a mandatory coronavirus vaccine|Olivia Goldhill|August 20, 2020|Quartz
When the prime minister says, “No country would find 173 billion barrels of oil in the ground and just leave them there,” he’s not wrong.
The oil sands triggered a heated global debate on our energy needs. Now, they could be a sign of what’s to come|kdunn6|August 20, 2020|Fortune
This past July, May was replaced as prime minister by Boris Johnson, her former Foreign Minister and, before that, the Mayor of London.
The Prime Minister Who Cried Brexit (Ep. 392)|Stephen J. Dubner|October 10, 2019|Freakonomics
One of its top officials is the current minister of the interior in Baghad.
What an Iranian Funeral Tells Us About the Wars in Iraq|IranWire|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Even those Christians who do want to minister amid the rancor of race and policing are missing the mark.
No Gods, No Cops, No Masters|James Poulos|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The narrator is suggesting that they build a snowman that looks like a minister.
The Most Confusing Christmas Music Lyrics Explained (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of them was Tamás Deutsch, a future minister for FIDESZ in the Hungarian government, today an MEP.
How Havel Inspired the Velvet Revolution|Michael Zantovsky|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Minister of Trade, he oversees TEPCO, which is attempting to put its profitable nuclear reactors back on-line.
‘Whip it!’ Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s Cabinet Of Horrors|Jake Adelstein|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's a shame to see a minister of the Gospel drowning his grief in liquor.
The Life of Thomas Wanless, Peasant|Alexander Johnstone Wilson
Frontenac defines his position and raises a note of alarm in his very first despatch to the minister for the colonies.
Count Frontenac|William Dawson LeSueur
The minister there, who introduces his plans, must be a member of the House of Commons.
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. I (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton
In this extremity Sieys chose as minister of police the old Terrorist Fouch, who best understood how to deal with his brethren.
In many Protestant churches, the presiding clergyman. Ministers preach sermons; conduct services; officiate at baptisms, weddings, and funerals; and generally look after the needs of their congregation. Some Protestant churches refer to their clergy as pastors or preachers rather than ministers.
Cultural definitions for minister (2 of 2)
minister
A title used in many countries for members of cabinets and similar public officials, who are roughly equivalent to the officials in the United States cabinet. For example, a minister of foreign affairs will have duties similar to those of the secretary of state of the United States.