be in/take orders

be in holy orders

To have been ordained a priest. Holy Orders is the sacrament by which one becomes a priest. Michael always wanted to be a priest, so I'm not surprised to hear that he's in holy orders now. A: "Jim's in holy orders, huh?" B: "Yeah, he's Father Jim now." Though I always found religion classes fascinating, I never really had a desire to be in holy orders.
See also: holy, order

take holy orders

To join the priesthood. Holy Orders is the sacrament by which one becomes a priest. Michael has always wanted to be a priest, and he's finally going to take holy orders later this year.
See also: holy, order, take
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

be in/take (holy) ˈorders

be/become a priest: He wanted to take holy orders, but his father had other plans for him.
See also: order, take
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
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