Defrock
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /diːˈfɹɒk/ · Part of speech verb
Quick meaning: Defrock is a verb meaning (literally) To divest of a frock.
Meaning
(literally) To divest of a frock.
More Meanings
- (figuratively) To formally remove the rights and authority of a member of the clergy.
- (by extension) To formally remove the rights and authority of someone, e.g. a government official or a medical practitioner.
Example Sentences
The defrocked priest may no longer perform rites.
The Vatican has defrocked the anti-abortion US priest Frank Pavone for what it said were “blasphemous communications on social media” as well as “persistent disobedience” of his bishop.
There are refugees and black marketers, defrocked bankers and resistance fighters, gamblers, floozies, French colonial policemen, American and Spanish entertainers, and, eventually, Nazi officers (who in reality never set foot in Casablanca).
Word Forms
- defrocks
- defrocking
- defrocked
Synonyms for defrock
Depending on context, synonyms include disfrock, unfrock.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include unfrock, disrobe, disfrock, disgown, ungown, disordain.
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Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.