chapter and verse

noun

1
: the exact reference or source of information or justification for an assertion
… clinched their arguments by citing chapter and verse.James MacGregor Burns
2
: full precise information or detail
… can give chapter and verse on the effects of diverting defense spending …Horace Sutton
chapter and verse adverb

Examples of chapter and verse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Three Giants pitchers – Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker – wore the cap with a Bible chapter and verse written alongside the logo at the team’s June 12 game against the Chicago Cubs. Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 19 June 2026 The students are well prepared, and quote chapter and verse from the Founding Fathers, as well as key events in American history. Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 17 June 2026 While the new pages don’t offer any variations in Paul’s words from those found in Bibles today, the chapter and verse divisions are different, the researchers said. Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2026 The first book from the Black List’s 2024 foray into chapter and verse to score a deal, the debut novel from the author will hit shelves and sites on February 24, 2026. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025 Many New Yorkers can cite chapter and verse about the African Burial Ground National Monument in downtown Manhattan near City Hall, but only a few know about the burial grounds and segregated Black cemeteries scattered throughout New York City’s boroughs. Herb Boyd, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2025 Anyway, by late 1974, when the Woodward–Bernstein book was published, everyone knew the Watergate story chapter and verse, and Nixon had been safely packed away down the memory hole. Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024 That’s chapter and verse in many, many, of his films, most recently in Pain and Glory. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2024 The chapter and verse of his record is not sympathetic reading, though his mother, 67, tries to understand. Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 3 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chapter and verse was in 1628

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chapter and verse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chapter%20and%20verse. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.

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