pulpit
Americannoun
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a platform or raised structure in a church, from which the sermon is delivered or the service is conducted.
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the pulpit,
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the clerical profession; the ministry.
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members of the clergy collectively.
In attendance were representatives of medicine, the pulpit, and the bar.
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(especially in Protestantism and Judaism) the position of pastor or rabbi.
He heard of a pulpit in Chicago that was about to be vacated.
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the work of a preacher; preaching.
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(in small craft)
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a safety rail rising about 18 to 30 inches (48 to 76 centimeters) from the deck near the bow and extending around it.
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a similar rail at the stern.
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a control booth in a factory, usually elevated and glass-enclosed, from which an operator can observe and direct the manufacturing process.
noun
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a raised platform, usually surrounded by a barrier, set up in churches as the appointed place for preaching, leading in prayer, etc
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any similar raised structure, such as a lectern
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a medium for expressing an opinion, such as a column in a newspaper
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the preaching of the Christian message
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the clergy or their message and influence
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Other Word Forms
- pulpital adjective
- pulpitless adjective
Etymology
Origin of pulpit
First recorded in 1300–50; Anglo-Norman pulpit, pulputte, French, Middle French pulpite, from Latin pulpitum “platform, scaffold, stage,” and also in Late Latin “pulpit”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Sometimes I communicate from pulpits, sometimes from bar stools, sometimes from public parks,” he says.
From Salon
Andrew Jay Schwartzman, a public interest communications attorney, said Carr is using his bully pulpit at the FCC to intimidate “a timorous broadcasting industry.”
From Los Angeles Times
“We are united with everybody in our country praying for peace, and specifically praying for immigrants in our country,” Gomez said during an address from the pulpit Wednesday afternoon.
From Los Angeles Times
“The truth is that when you are police chief you have a bully pulpit, and what you say or fail to say is important.”
From Los Angeles Times
The Health Secretary has also used his bully pulpit to attack products he views as toxins, including pesticides and fluoride in water.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
