Meaning & use
church man
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Meanings
nouncountable
A man who is a member of the clergy or who holds an official position in a church.
Grammar: Countable: one church man, two church men. It can refer to a priest, minister, or other male church official.
Patterns
- a church man
- the church men
The church man led the congregation in prayer.
Several church men attended the meeting to discuss the new roof.
nouncountable
A man who is a regular member of a church and takes an active part in its activities.
Grammar: Countable; often used to describe a man who is devout or active in his church.
Patterns
- a devout church man
- a church man of long standing
He was a church man all his life, never missing a Sunday service.
The community respected him as a church man who helped the poor.
Word forms
| plural | church men |
|---|
Common combinations
- a devout church man
- Her grandfather was a devout church man who read the Bible daily.
- a church man of long standing
- He was a church man of long standing, having been a member for over fifty years.
- a leading church man
- A leading church man spoke out against the new law.
- a church man and scholar
- He was both a church man and a scholar, writing books on theology.
Synonyms and how they differ
- clergyman
- A more formal and common word for a male member of the clergy; "church man" is less common and can also mean a lay member.
- churchman
- Often written as one word, it has the same meaning but is more common in British English.
- minister
- A specific type of church leader; "church man" is broader and can include any male church member or official.
Word family
- church noun
- A building used for Christian worship, or the institution itself.
- churchwoman noun
- The female equivalent of a church man.
Commonly confused: church man or churchman?
church man vs churchman
Often written as one word; it means the same thing, but "church man" as two words is also correct and sometimes preferred for clarity.
Practice
Which sentence uses "church man" correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses "church man" to mean a male church official or member. Option 1 confuses it with a church building, option 2 treats it as an object, and option 3 treats it as a song, none of which fit the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “church man”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.