Word
pastor
Phoneticspas·tor, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈpæstɝ/
UK/pˈɑːstɐ/
Definitions
01church leader
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Religion
n. a leader in a Christian church who gives advice and leads services.
n. a minister or priest with spiritual charge over a specific congregation or group of people.
日本語:牧師※
Español:pastor
“The pastor gave a moving speech during the Sunday morning service.”
“After the service, the pastor spent several hours visiting elderly members of the congregation who were unable to attend in person.”
Antonyms
02shepherd
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Archaic · Literary
n. an old word for a person who looks after sheep.
n. a person who tends a flock of animals, specifically a shepherd. This sense is largely restricted to historical or poetic contexts.
“In the old story, a lonely pastor watched his sheep on the hillside.”
“The poet uses the image of the faithful pastor to represent a leader who protects his followers from harm.”
Synonyms
03to lead a church
C1 · Advanced Religion Formal
v. to work as the leader of a church group.
v. to serve a congregation in the capacity of a pastor; to provide spiritual leadership and oversight.
“She has pastored this small community church for over twenty years.”
“He felt a profound calling to pastor the urban congregation, despite the significant social and economic challenges the neighborhood faced.”
Usage
Often used as an intransitive verb or with a direct object representing the congregation.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “pastor” in context.
Verb
01. consult the pastor
“Many members of the church consult the pastor when facing difficult ethical dilemmas.”
verb + noun
02. ordain a pastor
“The congregation gathered to ordain a new pastor to lead their growing community.”
verb + noun
03. serve as a pastor
“She has served as a pastor in this rural parish for over twenty years.”
verb + prep + noun
Adjective
04. assistant pastor
“The assistant pastor is primarily responsible for the youth outreach programs.”
adj + noun
05. senior pastor
“The senior pastor oversees the administrative duties and the spiritual direction of the ministry.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. pastor of the church
“As the pastor of the church, he felt a deep responsibility for his parishioners' well-being.”
noun + of + noun
07. youth pastor
“The youth pastor organized a weekend retreat to engage the teenage members of the congregation.”
noun + noun
Real-World Examples
“From the age of six, she sang in the local church where her grandfather was the pastor, and was performing on her local TV station by the time she was a teenager.” “Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, a local pastor, survived the lunch after weeks in hospital and still has ongoing health issues related to the poisoning.” Etymology
From Middle English pastour, from Old French pastor (Modern French pasteur), from Latin pāstor.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/pastor
※ 機械で選んだ訳語です。ネイティブスピーカーによる確認はまだです。
「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0