high priest

American  

noun

1. a chief priest.

2. Judaism. (from Aaronic times to about the 1st century a.d.) the priest ranking above all other priests and the only one permitted to enter the holy of holies.

3. Informal. a person in a high position of power or influence, especially one who is revered as a preeminent authority or interpreter.

   the high priest of the young painters.

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high priest British  

noun

1. Judaism the priest of highest rank who alone was permitted to enter the holy of holies of the tabernacle and Temple

2. Mormon Church a priest of the order of Melchizedek priesthood

3. Also (feminine): high priestess.  the head of a group or cult

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Other Word Forms

• high priesthood noun

Etymology

Origin of high priest

1350–1400; Middle English heiye prest

Example Sentences

The high priest of the S&P 500 index.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

Suddenly, Jackson’s career was kicked into the stratosphere and Jones was regarded as the high priest of pop music.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2024

The girl is expected to undergo a second customary ceremony to purify her for her new role as the wife of the high priest.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2024

A few years before, in 1984, my church took a busload of kids to see Mike Warnke, a former Satanist high priest who had converted to Christianity.

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2023

He was a babalawo, a high priest of santeria, and greeted the sun each morning with outstretched arms.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García