bible

noun

bi·​ble ˈbī-bəl How to pronounce bible (audio)
1
capitalized, 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
capitalized 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
bible table

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 State Superintendent Ryan Walters initially required specific bibles that included the full text of the U.S. Constitution, the Pledge of Allegiance, and more. Samantha Riedel, Them, 9 Oct. 2024 But the ongoing declines have instead forced Trump to merchandise everything from digital trading cards and bibles to sneakers and now silver coins to drum up cash. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2024 The trailer, a full bible and two scripts will later be presented at Mipcom by Bonnie Lener, producer and head of development at Millimages. Kambole Campbell, Variety, 4 Sep. 2024 Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence used to be separate diagnoses under the DSM-IV, the previous edition of the psychiatrists’ diagnostic ‘bible’. New Atlas, 9 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bible 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bible was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near bible

Cite this Entry

“Bible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bible. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

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
bible table
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

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