bible

noun

bi·​ble ˈbī-bəl 

1

Bible religion

a

: the sacred scriptures of Christians comprising the Old Testament and the New Testament

b

: the sacred scriptures of some other religion (such as Judaism)

2

obsolete : book

3

Bible religion : a copy or an edition of the Bible

gave each of her grandchildren a Bible

4

: a publication that is preeminent especially in authoritativeness or wide readership

the fisherman's bible

the bible of the entertainment industry

Synonyms of bible

• Scripture
• Book

Examples of bible in a Sentence

She gave each of her grandchildren a Bible.

The book is famous among foodies—it's the gourmet's bible.

The magazine is now considered the bible of the plastics industry.

Recent Examples on the Web

Many officers treat The Soldier and the State, by the political scientist Samuel Huntington, as their civil-military bible. — Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026

Rhayuela is looking for Mexican co-producers to join the financing process and enrich the story with their creative input, A complete sales bible is available. — John Hopewell, Variety, 7 July 2026

First, the animals whose skins would become parchment—typically sheep or calves—had to be slaughtered; a complete bible required the skins of around five hundred sheep. — Literary Hub, 6 July 2026

Entomologists actually still use his textbook and it’s considered a bible of Filipino mosquitoes. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 1 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin biblia, from Greek, plural of biblion book, diminutive of byblos papyrus, book, from Byblos, ancient Phoenician city from which papyrus was exported

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for bible

• cybele
• libel
• scribal
• tribal
• intertribal

Kids Definition

Bible

noun

Bi·​ble

ˈbī-bəl

1

a

: a book made up of the writings accepted by Christians as coming from God

b

: a book containing the sacred writings of some other religion

2

not capitalized : a publication widely read and considered very important

the bible of show business

Etymology

Middle English Bible "the Bible," from early French Bible (same meaning), from Latin biblia (same meaning), from Greek biblia (plural) "books," derived from Byblos, ancient city in Phoenicia from which the Greeks imported papyrus