saint

noun \ ˈsānt , before a name (ˌ)sānt or sənt \

|Updated on: 22 Jun 2018

Examples: saint in a Sentence

1 : one officially recognized especially through canonization as preeminent for holiness

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

b : angel 1a

3 a : 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

—

saintdom

play \ˈsānt-dəm\ noun

—

saintlike

play \ˈsānt-ˌlīk\ adjective

See saint defined for English-language learners

See saint defined for kids

Examples of saint in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of saint from the Web

The feast day of one of their children’s namesake saints may mean ice cream with supper.

— thomas farragher, BostonGlobe.com, "From his grandfather’s knee, lessons of love," 16 June 2018
Yoruba slaves and their Latin American descendants grafted their indigenous religion to the saints of the dominant Roman Catholic Church, giving rise to Santeria.

— andrea gronvall, Chicago Reader, "History repeats itself over and over again at the African Diaspora Film Festival," 8 June 2018
Martinez, who is Mexican American, has fashioned a Meinhof processional placard that recalls Catholic saint-banners, which derive from the military standards once carried into battle.

— christopher knight, latimes.com, "'Made in L.A. 2018': Why the Hammer biennial is the right show for disturbing times," 5 June 2018
Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that banquet where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home.

— cnn staff, CNN, "Full order of service for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle," 18 May 2018
From the night’s saints to the sinners, here’s a look at the best, worst, and craziest looks from the 2018 Met Gala red carpet.

— cady lang, Time, "The Most Over-the-Top Looks From the 2018 Met Gala," 8 May 2018
In Tunisia, the shrines to Sufi saints are both geographic landmarks and part of local folklore.

— taylor luck, The Christian Science Monitor, "How Tunisia's resilient Sufis have withstood hard-line Islamist attack," 8 Mar. 2018
Later, a chapel was built over the saint’s remains.

— lisa bitel, Smithsonian, "The Gory Origins of Valentine’s Day," 14 Feb. 2018
As a onetime priest, McLaughlin would have undoubtedly understood the desire to possess a relic from a venerated figure, like a saint’s knucklebone or a sliver of the true cross.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "Issue One: Would you wear a suit that once belonged to John McLaughlin?," 4 June 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of saint

Middle English, from Anglo-French seint, saint, from Late Latin sanctus, from Latin, sacred, from past participle of sancire to make sacred — more at sacred

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

saint

verb \ ˈsānt \

sainted; sainting; saints

transitive verb

: to recognize or designate as a saint; specifically : canonize

Recent Examples of saint from the Web

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

First Known Use of saint

13th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

SAINT Defined for English Language Learners

saint

noun

: a person who is officially recognized by the Christian church as being very holy because of the way he or she lived
: a person who is very good, kind, or patient