ministry
noun
min·is·try
ˈmi-nə-strē 
plural ministries
1
: ministration
the ingenuity of destruction … had outrun the ministry of healing—
Dixon Wecter
Dixon Wecter2
: the office, duties, or functions of a minister
was well prepared for the ministry
4
: a person or thing through which something is accomplished : agency, instrumentality
heroic believers become such by the ministry of heroic pain—Austin Phelps
Austin Phelps5
: the period of service or office of a minister or ministry
Many reforms were enacted during his ministry.
6
often capitalized
a
: the body of ministers governing a nation or state from which a smaller cabinet (see cabinet entry 1 sense 3b) is sometimes selected
b
: the group of ministers constituting a cabinet
7
a
: a government department presided over by a minister
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
b
: the building in which the business of a ministry is transacted
Examples of ministry in a Sentence
a member of the ministry
She learned a lot during her first year of ministry.
Recent Examples on the Web
Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and Iran's foreign ministry for comment.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
The Chinese foreign ministry denied the accusations.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 9 Apr. 2025
The big story China’s foreign ministry press hall in Beijing fell silent for close to half a minute on Monday afternoon.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
Such allegations have grown out of a wave of pro-Palestinian protests at Harvard and other schools against Israel's military assault on Gaza that has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, and led to genocide and war crimes allegations that Israel denies.
—Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ministry
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Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
The Chinese foreign ministry denied the accusations.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 9 Apr. 2025
The big story China’s foreign ministry press hall in Beijing fell silent for close to half a minute on Monday afternoon.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
Such allegations have grown out of a wave of pro-Palestinian protests at Harvard and other schools against Israel's military assault on Gaza that has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, and led to genocide and war crimes allegations that Israel denies.
—Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ministry
Cite this Entry
“Ministry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ministry. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ministry
noun
min·is·try
ˈmin-ə-strē
plural ministries
1
: the action of ministering
2
: the office, duties, or work of a minister
3
a
: the body of ministers governing a nation or state
b
: a government department headed by a minister
c
: the building in which a ministry is housed
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