Synonyms

Bible

American

[bahy-buhl] / ˈbaɪ bəl /

noun

the collection of sacred writings of the Christian religion, comprising the Old and New Testaments.
Hebrew Bible.
Often bible the sacred writings of any religion.
bible, any book, reference work, periodical, etc., accepted as authoritative, informative, or reliable.

He regarded that particular bird book as the birdwatchers' bible.

Bible British

/ ˈbaɪbəl /

noun

1. the sacred writings of the Christian religion, comprising the Old and New Testaments and, in the Roman Catholic Church, the Apocrypha
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a Bible reading
the English name for Tanach
(often not capital) any book containing the sacred writings of a religion
(usually not capital) a book regarded as authoritative

the angler's bible

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Bible ¹ Cultural

The book sacred to Christians (see also Christian), which they consider to be the inspired word of God. The Bible includes the Old Testament, which contains the sacred books of the Jews (see also Jews), and the New Testament, which begins with the birth of Jesus. Thirty-nine books of the Old Testament are accepted as part of the Bible by Christians and Jews alike. Some Christians consider several books of the Old Testament, such as Judith, I and II Maccabees, and Ecclesiasticus, to be part of the Bible also, whereas other Christians, and Jews, call these the Old Testament Apocrypha. Christians are united in their acceptance of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament; Jews do not consider the writings of the New Testament inspired. The Bible is also called “the Book” (bible means “book”).

Bible ² Cultural

The book sacred to Christians (see also Christian), containing the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament contains the writings sacred to the Jews (see also Jews).

Discover More

By extension, any book considered an infallible or very reliable guide to some activity may be called a “bible.”

Other Word Forms

anti-Bible adjective
pro-Bible adjective

Etymology

Origin of Bible

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bible, bibel, from Old French bible, from Medieval Latin biblia (feminine singular), from Greek, in tà biblía tà hagía (Septuagint) “the holy books,” plural of biblíon, byblíon “papyrus roll, strip of papyrus,” equivalent to býbl(os) “papyrus” (after Býblos, a Phoenician port where papyrus was prepared and exported) + -ion noun suffix

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Horning said he grew up in a strict Seventh-day Adventist household in Northern California, forbidden from reading anything other than the Bible and approved nonfiction.

From The Wall Street Journal

Growing up in the Bible Belt, I took great solace in promises of God’s protection, His plans for my life.

From The Wall Street Journal

The rising cohorts of women’s-rights campaigners bore less of an imprint of the orthodox Protestantism than those of Stanton’s generation and had no interest in editing the Bible.

From The Wall Street Journal

Father stayed in the front room with his Bible.

From Literature

In our home, three nights a week we read the Bible.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023