bible

noun

bi·​ble ˈbī-bəl How to pronounce bible (audio)
1
capitalized, religion
a
: the sacred scriptures of Christians comprising the Old Testament and the New Testament
b
: the sacred scriptures of some other religion (such as Judaism)
2
obsolete : book
3
capitalized religion : a copy or an edition of the Bible
gave each of her grandchildren a Bible
4
: a publication that is preeminent especially in authoritativeness or wide readership
the fisherman's bible
the bible of the entertainment industry
bible table

Examples of bible in a Sentence

She gave each of her grandchildren a Bible. The book is famous among foodies—it's the gourmet's bible. The magazine is now considered the bible of the plastics industry.
Recent Examples on the Web Fox Kids execs asked Eric Lewald to have a show bible done in two weeks, and Houston made the now-iconic opening credits in a weekend. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 The fielding bible ranked him ninth in 2022 among first basemen in Defensive Runs Saved. Journal Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2024 Going forward, Marvel plans to follow a more traditional TV production process, including hiring showrunners who will write pilots and show bibles. Shania Russell, EW.com, 11 Oct. 2023 For decades, Sports Illustrated was a weekly bible for sports fans and a financial engine for the Time Inc. empire. Benjamin Mullin, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2024 Study aids in most bibles include maps to help readers understand the geography of anything related in the Bible. WSJ, 12 Dec. 2023 Four Ukrainian soldiers, one holding a bouquet of pink roses in his hand, stood off to the side as a priest recited the burial ceremony and read from his bible. Siobhán O'Grady, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2023 The king then swore on the bible to uphold laws governed by the Church of England. Amy Haneline, USA TODAY, 6 May 2023 The brand — once scorned as the convenient but ugly duckling of the footwear world — is also enjoying endorsements from celebrities and high-profile fashion houses; even fashion bible Vogue has attempted to advise on how to wear the resin shoes. Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin biblia, from Greek, plural of biblion book, diminutive of byblos papyrus, book, from Byblos, ancient Phoenician city from which papyrus was exported

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bible was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near bible

Cite this Entry

“Bible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bible. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Bible

noun
Bi·​ble
ˈbī-bəl
1
a
: a book made up of the writings accepted by Christians as coming from God
b
: a book containing the sacred writings of some other religion
2
not capitalized : a publication widely read and considered very important
the bible of show business
bible table
Etymology

Middle English Bible "the Bible," from early French Bible (same meaning), from Latin biblia (same meaning), from Greek biblia (plural) "books," derived from Byblos, ancient city in Phoenicia from which the Greeks imported papyrus

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