pilate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I wasn’t offered the part of Mary Magdalene, which I wanted, but of Pontius Pilate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

"He cannot do a Pontius Pilate and maintain he cannot interfere because policing is devolved."

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2025

Raúl Esparza, whom I can still hear singing “Being Alive” from the 2006 Broadway revival of “Company,” played Pontius Pilate with lip-smacking villainy.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2025

By stark contrast, his persecutors, led by King Herod and Pontius Pilate, wear severe white, floor-length robes and black coats.

From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2024

Pilate had never heard the word “navel” and didn’t know what the woman was talking about.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison