Bible Definition & Meaning

American

British

Cultural

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Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms Bible American [bahy-buhl] / ˈbaɪ bəl /

noun

1. the collection of sacred writings of the Christian religion, comprising the Old and New Testaments.

2. Hebrew Bible.

3. Often bible the sacred writings of any religion.

4. bible, any book, reference work, periodical, etc., accepted as authoritative, informative, or reliable.

   He regarded that particular bird book as the birdwatchers' bible.

Bible British / ˈbaɪbəl /

noun

1. 1. the sacred writings of the Christian religion, comprising the Old and New Testaments and, in the Roman Catholic Church, the Apocrypha

   2. ( as modifier )

      a Bible reading

2. the English name for Tanach

3. (often not capital) any book containing the sacred writings of a religion

4. (usually not capital) a book regarded as authoritative

   the angler's bible

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Bible 1 Cultural

1. The book sacred to Christians (see also Christian), which they consider to be the inspired word of God. The Bible includes the Old Testament, which contains the sacred books of the Jews (see also Jews), and the New Testament, which begins with the birth of Jesus. Thirty-nine books of the Old Testament are accepted as part of the Bible by Christians and Jews alike. Some Christians consider several books of the Old Testament, such as Judith, I and II Maccabees, and Ecclesiasticus, to be part of the Bible also, whereas other Christians, and Jews, call these the Old Testament Apocrypha. Christians are united in their acceptance of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament; Jews do not consider the writings of the New Testament inspired. The Bible is also called “the Book” (bible means “book”).

Bible 2 Cultural

1. The book sacred to Christians (see also Christian), containing the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament contains the writings sacred to the Jews (see also Jews).

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By extension, any book considered an infallible or very reliable guide to some activity may be called a “bible.”

Other Word Forms

• anti-Bible adjective
• pro-Bible adjective

Etymology

Origin of Bible

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bible, bibel, from Old French bible, from Medieval Latin biblia (feminine singular), from Greek, in tà biblía tà hagía (Septuagint) “the holy books,” plural of biblíon, byblíon “papyrus roll, strip of papyrus,” equivalent to býbl(os) “papyrus” (after Býblos, a Phoenician port where papyrus was prepared and exported) + -ion noun suffix

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.

Lai, who is Catholic, has told friends that he found meaning in the hardship of prison and spends time reading the Bible and other religious works and drawing pictures of the cross.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gowda - whose eye-popping collection includes rare editions of the Bible, along with books on every subject imaginable - comes from a farming family where books were a luxury.

From BBC

It was Mrs. Pritchard who’d taught me that Bible verse about asking and receiving, so I took a deep breath and summoned up a chunk of courage.

From Literature

“But when I do have money, I keep it between my clothes in the wardrobe,” she said, repeating the habits she learned from her grandmother, who also used to stuff bills in her Bible.

From The Wall Street Journal

In her verdict, Judge Holdham said she did not believe the men's visits to Nye's home had really been manifesting their religious beliefs because despite their repeated returns they had not actually left the Bible.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.