Definitions for minister
ˈmɪn ə stərmin·is·ter

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. curate, minister of religion, minister, parson, pastor, rectornoun

   a person authorized to conduct religious worship

   "clergymen are usually called ministers in Protestant churches"

2. minister, government ministernoun

   a person appointed to a high office in the government

   "Minister of Finance"

3. minister, diplomatic ministernoun

   a diplomat representing one government to another; ranks below ambassador

4. ministerverb

   the job of a head of a government department

5. ministerverb

   attend to the wants and needs of others

   "I have to minister to my mother all the time"

6. ministerverb

   work as a minister

   "She is ministering in an old parish"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ministernoun

   A person who is trained to perform religious ceremonies at a Protestant church.

   The minister said a prayer on behalf of the entire congregation.

   Etymology: From ministre, from ministre, from minister, from minor + -ter; see minor.

2. ministernoun

   A politician who heads a ministry (national or regional government department for public service).

   He was newly appointed to be Minister of the Interior.

   Etymology: From ministre, from ministre, from minister, from minor + -ter; see minor.

3. ministernoun

   At a diplomacy, the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador

   Etymology: From ministre, from ministre, from minister, from minor + -ter; see minor.

4. ministernoun

   Someone who serves others.

   Etymology: From ministre, from ministre, from minister, from minor + -ter; see minor.

5. ministerverb

   To attend to; to tend.

   A newspaper headline: Couple leaves business world to minister to inner-city children

   Etymology: From ministre, from ministre, from minister, from minor + -ter; see minor.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Ministernoun

   a servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument

   Etymology: [OE. ministren, OF. ministrer, fr. L. ministrare. See Minister, n.]

2. Ministernoun

   an officer of justice

   Etymology: [OE. ministren, OF. ministrer, fr. L. ministrare. See Minister, n.]

3. Ministernoun

   one to whom the sovereign or executive head of a government intrusts the management of affairs of state, or some department of such affairs

   Etymology: [OE. ministren, OF. ministrer, fr. L. ministrare. See Minister, n.]

4. Ministernoun

   a representative of a government, sent to the court, or seat of government, of a foreign nation to transact diplomatic business

   Etymology: [OE. ministren, OF. ministrer, fr. L. ministrare. See Minister, n.]

5. Ministernoun

   one who serves at the altar; one who performs sacerdotal duties; the pastor of a church duly authorized or licensed to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments

   Etymology: [OE. ministren, OF. ministrer, fr. L. ministrare. See Minister, n.]

6. Ministernoun

   to furnish or apply; to afford; to supply; to administer

   Etymology: [OE. ministren, OF. ministrer, fr. L. ministrare. See Minister, n.]

7. Ministerverb

   to act as a servant, attendant, or agent; to attend and serve; to perform service in any office, sacred or secular

   Etymology: [OE. ministren, OF. ministrer, fr. L. ministrare. See Minister, n.]

8. Ministerverb

   to supply or to things needful; esp., to supply consolation or remedies

   Etymology: [OE. ministren, OF. ministrer, fr. L. ministrare. See Minister, n.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Minister

   A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. Some ministers are more senior than others, and are usually members of the government's cabinet. In some countries the head of government is designated the "prime minister". In some countries and territories, including Hong Kong, the Philippines, the UK, and the US, holders of some posts equivalent to ministries are called secretaries of state, sometimes referred to simply as secretaries. The term "minister" is also used in diplomacy with the quite different meaning of second-level diplomats. Another use, again quite distinct, is in religion, where some Christian denominations have a low-ranking office of "minister". This is distinct from a government minister with responsibility for religion, such as the Israeli Minister of Religious Services.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Minister

   min′is-tėr, n. a servant: one who serves at the altar: a clergyman: one transacting business for another: the responsible head of a department of state affairs: the representative of a government at a foreign court.—v.i. to act as a servant: to perform duties: to supply or do things needful.—v.t. to furnish:—pr.p. min′istering; pa.p. min′istered.—adj. Ministē′rial, pertaining to the work of a servant: acting under superior authority: pertaining to the office of a minister: clerical: executive.—n. Ministē′rialist, one who supports ministers or the government in office.—adv. Ministē′rially.—adj. Min′istering, attending and serving.—n. Ministē′rium, the body of the ordained ministers in a district.—adj. Min′istrant, administering: attendant.—n. Ministrā′tion, the act of ministering or performing service: office or service of a minister.—adj. Min′istrātive, serving to aid or assist: ministering.—ns. Min′istress, a female minister; Min′istry, act of ministering: service: office or duties of a minister: the clergy: the clerical profession: the body of ministers who manage the business of the country. [L.,—minor, less.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. minister

   A minister, though termed plenipotentiary, has no power to grant protection to vessels or cargoes otherwise subject to the operations and laws of hostilities.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. minister

   Is one who acts not by any inherent authority of his own, but under another. Thus, in England all ministers act under a supreme authority, which is vested in the sovereign, lords, and commons, to whom they are responsible. In military matters, there is not only a war minister, but a secretary at war, who likewise acts conjointly with the secretary of state. All dispatches and papers of consequence relating to the army must first pass through the secretary of state, and the war minister, before they are laid before Parliament, or otherwise acted upon by the secretary at war. The common arrangements of corps, directions with respect to marching, are transmitted to the secretary at war, and to the quartermaster-general’s office, without previously passing through the secretary of state, or war minister. See Secretary of War.

Matched Categories

1. • Attend
   • Work

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'minister' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #344

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'minister' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1286

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'minister' in Nouns Frequency: #79

Anagrams for minister »

1. interims

How to pronounce minister?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say minister in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of minister in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of minister in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of minister in a Sentence

1. Mohan Guruswamy:

   The agenda is always set by the sitting prime minister and everybody has to reply in kind.

2. Neil Quilliam:

   The magnitude of these attacks is not lost on the population, nor is the fact that he (the crown prince) is the minister of defense and his brother is deputy defense minister, and yet arguably the country has suffered its largest attack ever and on the crown jewels, there's a diminishing confidence in his ability to secure the country – and that's a consequence of his policies.

3. Yogi Adityanath:

   The prime minister feels that we should not deviate from our agenda of economic reforms and development.

4. Julie Bishop:

   I urged (the Egyptian foreign minister) to consider releasing Peter Greste for Christmas, we wanted him out and home as soon as possible, we've got our fingers crossed, we don't know whether we have secured this yet.

5. Russian President Vladimir Putin:

   I think that the task that was assigned to the Ministry of Defense and the armed forces as a whole has achieved its goal, and so I order the defense minister to start tomorrow withdrawing the main part of our military factions from the Syrian Arab Republic.

Popularity rank by frequency of use