saint

noun

\ ˈsānt

, before a name (ˌ)sānt or sənt\

Definition of saint

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : one officially recognized especially through canonization as preeminent for holiness —abbreviation St.

2a : one of the spirits of the departed in heaven

b : angel sense 1a

3a : one of God's chosen and usually Christian people

b capitalized : a member of any of various Christian bodies specifically : latter-day saint

4 : one eminent for piety or virtue

5 : an illustrious predecessor

saint

verb

\ ˈsānt

sainted; sainting; saints

Definition of saint (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to recognize or designate as a saint specifically : canonize

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Examples of saint in a Sentence

Noun

He was declared a saint in the fifth century. The salesperson was a saint for putting up with them.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Make Terry Crews The Bachelor, but don't because he's been married to Rebecca (an actual saint) for 29 years and honestly, that's amazing. — Amanda Mitchell, Marie Claire, "An Ode to the Glasses of This Week's Episode of 'The Bachelor'," 22 Jan. 2019 Romero is El Salvador’s first saint, and thousands of Salvadorans gathered at that country’s cathedral in the middle of the night to watch the Vatican’s canonization ceremony streamed live. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Oscar Romero, a martyr for social justice and the newest Catholic saint, explained," 15 Oct. 2018 At one point, my mom, who is a saint, started baking enough cookies every Christmas to ensure that everyone on staff got a cellophane–wrapped, beribboned plate for peak. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "Inside FedEx’s Christmas Miracle," 19 Dec. 2018 Eunice was no saint, despite the profound piety that led her to consider becoming a nun. — Wendy Smith, BostonGlobe.com, "The formidable Kennedy sister," 20 Apr. 2018 Dozens of other gods and goddesses fused religious identities until many prominent Catholic saints held a double meaning for thousands of worshippers. — Sarah Betancourt, Longreads, "The Religion No One Talks About: My Search For Answers in an Old Caribbean Faith," 30 Mar. 2018 According to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, archaeologists have uncovered an intact temple and burial grounds beneath St. Nicholas church in the province of Antalya, part of the Demre district where the saint is said to have been born. — Chanel Vargas, Town & Country, "Santa Claus's Tomb May Have Just Been Discovered Under a Church in Turkey," 4 Oct. 2017 That's big news for the state that worships Friday Night Lights and considers J. J. Watt a saint. — Fernando Ramirez, Houston Chronicle, "Three polls that go against every Texas stereotype," 27 June 2018 Borgnes Giramonti recalls one specialist who tried to dissuade them from visiting Delhi’s Nizamuddin Dargah, the 14th-century tomb of a Sufi saint, where devotees sing mesmerizing qawwalis. — Sarah Khan, Condé Nast Traveler, "How Belinda Carlisle and Lisa Borgnes Giramonti 'Go-Go' Around the World Together," 16 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In 2000, Nicholas, his wife, and children were sainted by the Russian Orthodox church. — Nancy Bilyeau, Town & Country, "Will the Real Anastasia Romanov Please Stand Up?," 25 Apr. 2017 Feed My Starving Children is to be sainted for its work — people working to feed people. — Sainted & Tainted Writers, Twin Cities, "Sainted: Christian, Muslim, Jewish … people working to feed people," 17 June 2017 MOUNT SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY, Los Angeles Jocelin Mata, Santa Ana High School Major: nursing, $ Why this school? — Heide Janssen, Orange County Register, "Where are 2017 Orange County dance students going to college?," 15 June 2017 The average number of carries in a season for a lead Saints back is roughly half (175) the total Peterson was used to getting in Minnesota. — Jeff Duncan, NOLA.com, "1,500 yards? 10 TDs? Adrian Peterson's 'incentives' are a joke," 19 May 2017

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