How to Use defrock in a Sentence

defrock

verb
  • The next year, the church defrocked Father Geoghan and removed him from the priesthood.
    — New York Times, 3 June 2019
  • The priest eventually was defrocked and died in prison while serving a sentence for abuse in Texas.
    — J.m. Lawrence, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2018
  • Among the men Feit helped keep in ministry was child molester James Porter, who assaulted more than 100 victims before he was defrocked and sent to prison.
    — Associated Press, Houston Chronicle, 8 Dec. 2017
  • He was defrocked and died in the Vatican before facing justice.
    — Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2017
  • The decision makes the 88-year-old the first U.S. cardinal—and possibly the first ever globally—to be defrocked.
    — Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, 16 Feb. 2019
  • In the end, mostly because of his negative stance on the papacy, Savonarola was defrocked and executed by the church.
    — Kat Eschner, Smithsonian, 7 Feb. 2017
  • In the end, mostly because of his negative stance on the papacy, Savonarola was defrocked and executed by the church.
    — Kat Eschner, Smithsonian, 7 Feb. 2017
  • In this legal system, the worst punishment a priest can incur is being defrocked or dismissed from the clerical state.
    — Fox News, 18 Dec. 2019
  • In this legal system, the worst punishment a priest can incur is being defrocked, or dismissed from the clerical state.
    — Nicole Winfield, The Denver Post, 17 Dec. 2019
  • In this legal system, the worst punishment a priest can incur is being defrocked, or dismissed from the clerical state.
    — NBC News, 17 Dec. 2019
  • Brennan, 80, was removed from active ministry soon after the report was released and defrocked last year.
    — Craig R. McCoy, Philly.com, 25 June 2018
  • The monks have been defrocked and charged with offenses related to embezzlement, fraud and robbery.
    — George Styllis, Washington Post, 24 June 2018
  • Though Brown was stripped of his authority to act publicly as a priest, he wasn’t laicized, or defrocked, until September 2019.
    — David Tarrant, Dallas News, 1 Feb. 2020
  • While hundreds of priests have been defrocked over the years for raping and molesting minors, only a few bishops have faced sanctions for failing to prevent such crimes.
    — Nicole Winfield, The Seattle Times, 8 Oct. 2018
  • Now that his criminal trial is over Capella will be subject to a canonical hearing, which could lead to him being defrocked.
    — Deutsche Welle, USA TODAY, 23 June 2018
  • Concerned Catholics has been calling for Apuron's permanent removal as Guam archbishop and is hoping he will be defrocked.
    — Haidee V Eugenio, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2017
  • Bishop Daily was named as a defendant in dozens of suits filed by people who claimed that Father Geoghan, who was later defrocked, had molested them in his three decades as a priest.
    — Sam Roberts, New York Times, 15 May 2017
  • After he was defrocked, Wesolowski lost his diplomatic immunity and the Vatican said he could be tried by other courts.
    — Nicole Winfield and Matthew Lee, chicagotribune.com, 15 Sep. 2017
  • After he was defrocked, Wesolowski lost his diplomatic immunity and the Vatican said he could be tried by other courts.
    — Bloomberg.com, 15 Sep. 2017
  • The naked and unseemly lust for the wrong kind of money led it here, into the middle of an FBI investigation, with several coaches under arrest and one legend defrocked and more of both, so much more, to come.
    — Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, 28 Sep. 2017
  • Now that the criminal prosecution is over, Capella will be subject to a canonical trial, which could result in him being defrocked.
    — Washington Post, 23 June 2018
  • One prominent cleric, who has denied abuse allegations, was among those defrocked by Pope Francis.
    — Ryan Dube, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2018
  • Robben eventually was defrocked from the Christian order, and apparently then started his own.
    — Claudia Lauer and Meghan Hoyer, chicagotribune.com, 5 Oct. 2019
  • Robben eventually was defrocked from the Christian order, and apparently then started his own.
    — Claudia Lauer and Meghan Hoyer, chicagotribune.com, 5 Oct. 2019
  • Robben eventually was defrocked from the Christian order, and apparently then started his own.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 5 Oct. 2019
  • Robben eventually was defrocked from the Christian order, and apparently then started his own.
    — NBC News, 4 Oct. 2019
  • Robben eventually was defrocked from the Christian order, and apparently then started his own.
    — Claudia Lauer and Meghan Hoyer, chicagotribune.com, 5 Oct. 2019
  • Robben eventually was defrocked from the Christian order, and apparently then started his own.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 5 Oct. 2019
  • Robben eventually was defrocked from the Christian order, and apparently then started his own.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 5 Oct. 2019
  • Accused of paying shoeshine boys for sex while serving as papal nuncio, or ambassador, in the Dominican Republic, he was recalled by Francis in 2013 and defrocked the following year.
    — Alexandra Zavis, latimes.com, 29 June 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defrock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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