Meaning & use
vergers
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“vergers” is a form of “verger”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
A person who looks after a church building and helps with services and ceremonies.
Grammar: Countable noun; plural is vergers. Often used with 'the' when referring to a specific person.
Patterns
- the verger at a church
- work as a verger
The verger unlocked the church doors early on Sunday morning.
She asked the verger where the choir should sit.
In many English parishes, the verger also helps prepare for weddings and funerals.
Word forms
| singular | verger |
|---|
Common combinations
- church verger
- The church verger showed us the ancient stained-glass windows.
- parish verger
- The parish verger organizes the weekly service sheets.
- work as a verger
- After retiring, he worked as a verger at the local cathedral.
- the verger's duties
- The verger's duties include ringing the bell and greeting visitors.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sexton
- Sexton is similar but often focuses on graveyard and building maintenance, while a verger also assists during services.
- churchwarden
- A churchwarden is an elected lay official with administrative duties, not a paid caretaker like a verger.
Word family
- verge noun
- An edge or border, but not related in meaning to verger.
Commonly confused: vergers or verge?
vergers vs verge
Verge means an edge or boundary, while verger is a church official. They sound similar but are different words.
Practice
In a British church, who is responsible for unlocking the building and helping during services?
Choose one answer.
The verger is the church official who handles practical tasks like unlocking and assisting at services. A vicar is a priest, a choirboy sings, and an organist plays music.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vergers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.