Meaning & use
pulpit
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablereligion
A small raised stand in a church where a preacher stands to give a sermon.
Grammar: Often with in or from: preach from the pulpit.
Patterns
- in the pulpit
- from the pulpit
The minister climbed the steps to the pulpit.
A carved wooden pulpit stands near the altar.
She read the lesson from the pulpit.
nounsingularformal
The position, role or group of religious leaders who preach.
Grammar: With the: the pulpit, meaning the clergy.
Patterns
- the pulpit
The pulpit spoke out against the new law.
He was trained for the pulpit as a young man.
Support from the pulpit mattered in the village.
nouncountablefigurative
A position from which someone can speak with influence to many people.
Grammar: Figurative: a media pulpit.
Patterns
- use a pulpit to do something
The columnist used his newspaper as a pulpit.
A podcast became her pulpit for health advice.
The presidency is often called a bully pulpit.
Word forms
| plural | pulpits |
|---|
Common combinations
- preach from the pulpit
- He preached from the pulpit every Sunday.
- bully pulpit
- The mayor used her bully pulpit to promote the cause.
- climb into the pulpit
- The priest climbed into the pulpit.
- wooden pulpit
- The old wooden pulpit creaked.
- pulpit sermon
- The pulpit sermon lasted an hour.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lectern
- A lectern is a stand for reading from, used in churches or lecture rooms, and lacks the preaching tradition of a pulpit.
- podium
- A podium is a platform for a speaker and is not tied to religion.
- rostrum
- Rostrum is a platform for public speaking, more formal than pulpit.
- soapbox
- A soapbox is an informal stand for speaking your opinions in public.
Opposites
Word family
- pulpiteer noun
- a preacher, often scornfully
- pulpit-thumping adjective
- preaching loudly and with forceful emphasis
- pulpitry noun
- preaching in a self-important way
Commonly confused: pulpit or pulp?
pulpit vs pulp
Pulp is a soft wet mass, such as fruit pulp, and is a different word.
Practice
The preacher stood in the ______ and began his sermon.
Choose one answer.
A pulpit is the raised stand for a preacher. A pew is a bench, the aisle is a walkway and a vestibule is an entrance hall.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pulpit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.