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

On this morning, volunteers pack up notebooks, Bibles and cards that chaplains will share with people behind bars. — Sharon Chin, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

The bedside phone, resembling a hotel bible, straddled the line between kitschy and cute, and local treats in the room like port wine was a nice touch. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Braun writes that popular volumes included Bibles, farming and health manuals, biographies, and fiction. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 18 Sep. 2026

While working with the artist Marina Amaral on three books about the history of photography, this was my bible. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 15 Sep. 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