ordained; ordaining; ordains
1
: to invest (see invest entry 2 sense 1) officially (as by the laying on of hands) with ministerial or priestly authority
was ordained as a priest
2
a
: to establish or order by appointment, decree, or law : enact
we the people … do ordain and establish this Constitution—
U.S. Constitution
U.S. Constitution
b
: destine, foreordain
It is futile to try to avoid what destiny has ordained.
: to issue an order
so the gods have ordained
ordainer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of ordain in a Sentence
She is an ordained minister.
The process was ordained by law.
Recent Examples on the Web
At least for now, Kirk has convinced Republicans that his political project is divinely ordained.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
Frustrations about the slow pace of reform bubbled into the open during the assembly when the pope’s doctrine adviser ruled out ordaining women as deacons and then failed to turn up to a meeting on the topic.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN, 27 Oct. 2024
Born in Poland in 1920 but not ordained a priest until after World War II, the master of at least a dozen languages was elected Oct. 16, 1978 — making him among the youngest popes in history — amid much jubilation from Chicago’s Polish American community, which was the largest outside Warsaw.
—Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2024
One of the most notable initiatives is the collaboration with Emma Slade, the first Western woman to be fully ordained as a Buddhist nun in Bhutan.
—Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ordain 
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Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
Frustrations about the slow pace of reform bubbled into the open during the assembly when the pope’s doctrine adviser ruled out ordaining women as deacons and then failed to turn up to a meeting on the topic.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN, 27 Oct. 2024
Born in Poland in 1920 but not ordained a priest until after World War II, the master of at least a dozen languages was elected Oct. 16, 1978 — making him among the youngest popes in history — amid much jubilation from Chicago’s Polish American community, which was the largest outside Warsaw.
—Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2024
One of the most notable initiatives is the collaboration with Emma Slade, the first Western woman to be fully ordained as a Buddhist nun in Bhutan.
—Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ordain
Dictionary Entries Near ordain
Cite this Entry
“Ordain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ordain. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ordain
verb
or·dain
ȯr-ˈdān 
1
: to make a person a Christian minister or priest by a special ceremony
2
a
: decree entry 2
it was ordained by law
b
: destine sense 1
we seem ordained to fail
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