faith

play

noun \ˈfāth\

Definition of faith

plural

faiths

play \ˈfāths, sometimes ˈfāthz\

1a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty lost faith in the company's presidentb (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions acted in good faith
2a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religionb (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof clinging to the faith that her missing son would one day return (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs the Protestant faith

on faith

: without question took everything he said on faith

See faith defined for English-language learners

See faith defined for kids

Examples of faith in a Sentence

Faith without doubt leads to moral arrogance, the eternal pratfall of the religiously convinced. —Joe Klein, Time, 17 May 2004
Nick wiped at the moustache of sweat droplets that was as much a part of his face as his eyes and nose and gave a shrug that indicated a certain lack of faith in our judgment. —Tom Perrotta, Joe College, 2000
But while no one with a grain of sense trusted Miss Stephanie, Jem and I had considerable faith in Miss Maudie. She had never told on us, had never played cat-and-mouse with us, she was not at all interested in our private lives. She was our friend. —Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
His supporters have accepted his claims with blind faith.
Our faith in the government has been badly shaken by the recent scandals.
Lending him the money to start his own business was an act of faith.
It requires a giant leap of faith for us to believe that she is telling the truth.
Nothing is more important to her than her faith in God.
She says that her faith has given her the courage to deal with this tragedy.

Recent Examples of faith from the Web

In July, Philadelphia lifted a four-year-old ban on serving meals in public parks after homeless advocates and faith groups sued the city.

— jack healy, New York Times, "Rights Battles Emerge in Cities Where Homelessness Can Be a Crime", 9 Jan. 2017
If the GOP Congress is willing to proceed with caution, Democrats should be willing to respond in good faith.

— editorial board, Washington Post, "If Republicans play winner-takes-all, everyone will lose", 3 Jan. 2017
Last month, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced the introduction of Light TV, a faith and family broadcast network.

— brooks barnes, New York Times, "Trailer: 'Hidden Figures'", 24 Dec. 2016
The Bible makes categorical statements that you can’t be saved except through faith in Jesus (John 14:6; Acts 4:11-12).

— nicholas kristof, New York Times, "Sign Up for the Nicholas Kristof Newsletter", 23 Dec. 2016
The president said that message rounds out his family’s Christian faith, and that of Americans of all backgrounds.

— kevin freking, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, "Holiday ‘Obamarama’ for president’s final tree-lighting", 1 Dec. 2016
And while linking commerce and religion may seem distasteful to some, modest-fashion entrepreneurs like Melanie Elturk see it as a natural way to live out their faith and serve their communities.

— whitney bauck, New York Times, "NYT Living Newsletter", 1 Nov. 2016
But throughout their story and relationship, the Gaines' always return to a guiding trust in one another and their faith, and the gambles always seem to pay off.

— john boyd, Houston Chronicle, "With 'Magnolia Story,' 'Fixer Upper's' Chip & Joanna Gaines pull back the 'reveal' panels (Review)", 18 Oct. 2016
Without that faith, all of our other problems become harder to solve.

— david leonhardt, New York Times, "Middle-Class Wealth Slump", 11 Oct. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'faith'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of faith

Middle English feith, from Anglo-French feid, fei, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust — more at bide

NEW!

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of faith

belief, faith, credence, credit mean assent to the truth of something offered for acceptance. belief may or may not imply certitude in the believer. my belief that I had caught all the errors faith almost always implies certitude even where there is no evidence or proof. an unshakable faith in God credence suggests intellectual assent without implying anything about grounds for assent. a theory now given credence by scientists credit may imply assent on grounds other than direct proof. gave full credit to the statement of a reputable witness

faith

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verb \ˈfāth\

Definition of faith

archaic

transitive verb
: believe, trust

Origin and Etymology of faith

see ¹faith

NEW!

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

FAITH Defined for English Language Learners

faith

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noun

Definition of faith for English Language Learners

: strong belief or trust in someone or something
: belief in the existence of God : strong religious feelings or beliefs
: a system of religious beliefs

FAITH Defined for Kids

faith

play

noun \ˈfāth\

Definition of faith for Students

1 : strong belief or trust I have faith in our leaders.
2 : belief in God
3 : a system of religious beliefs : religion people of all faiths
4 : loyalty to duty or to a person or thing The team's true fans keep the faith.

Law Dictionary

faith

noun

Legal Definition of faith

1a : allegiance or loyalty to a duty or a person b : sincerity or honesty of intentions — see also bad faith, good faith
2 : fidelity to one's promises and obligations