faith

noun \ ˈfāth \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of faith

plural faiths play \ˈfāths, sometimes ˈfāt͟hz\

1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty

lost faith in the company's president

b (1) : fidelity to one's promises

(2) : sincerity of intentions

acted in good faith

2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God

(2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion

b (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

From questions about melding faiths, such as Jamie’s Jewish heritage spanning an emphasis about fulfillment through work, as in Cathy’s theatre dreams, the audience witnesses a five-year window of a relationship.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Dunes Summer Theatre brings back 'Last Five Years' for one weekened," 12 Apr. 2018
The list of signatories to the letter includes environmental, faith, health and labor groups from across the country.

— david r. baker, San Francisco Chronicle, "End oil drilling permits in California, groups urge Governor Brown," 11 Apr. 2018
That to me was just actually bad faith, for the record.

— ezra klein, Vox, "Ezra and Sam Harris debate race, IQ, identity politics, and much more.," 9 Apr. 2018
As a man of faith, a man who defends morals and character.

— leinz vales, CNN, "Evangelical leader Tony Perkins defends Scott Pruitt: 'I don't think there's anything there'," 6 Apr. 2018
That, of course, explains the great gallery of Catholic mystics all through the history of the faith, including Meister Eckhart.

— john timpane, Philly.com, "'Dangerous Mystic': A true, gripping tale of a man's perilous search for God," 6 Apr. 2018
Parties to such investigations enter a good-faith agreement to shed light on larger safety concerns through a rigorous, objective and independent analysis, officials said.

— author: faiz siddiqui, Anchorage Daily News, "Tesla may have violated federal rules by releasing information about fatal California crash," 3 Apr. 2018
During Mimouna, doors to Jewish homes were left open and the entire community, regardless of faith, wandered from house to house, enjoying food, beverages, music and dancing at each stop.

— florence steinberger, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mimouna sweets, a Moroccan tradition, herald the end of Passover," 3 Apr. 2018
Shep’s 65 short, full years revolved around faith, family, fishing, and football.

— orlando sentinel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Deaths in Central Florida: 4/1," 1 Apr. 2018

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.