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
Examples of ordain in a Sentence
She is an ordained minister.
The process was ordained by law.
Recent Examples on the Web
There is Chekhov, yes, but in American film the gun going off is ordained by the greater cults of marketable violence.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
Many denominations of Christianity do not require the person baptizing someone to be ordained.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 16 May 2025
After his time in St. Louis, Prevost went on to study at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University, before he was ordained in June 1982.
—Katie Primm, NBC news, 9 May 2025
Craig was ordained as a Baptist preacher, a calling that would prove pivotal not only in his spiritual community but also in Kentucky's civic and economic development, then a rugged territory of the United States.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ordain
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Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
Many denominations of Christianity do not require the person baptizing someone to be ordained.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 16 May 2025
After his time in St. Louis, Prevost went on to study at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University, before he was ordained in June 1982.
—Katie Primm, NBC news, 9 May 2025
Craig was ordained as a Baptist preacher, a calling that would prove pivotal not only in his spiritual community but also in Kentucky's civic and economic development, then a rugged territory of the United States.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ordain
Cite this Entry
“Ordain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ordain. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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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