disciple
Americannoun
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a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower.
a disciple of Freud.
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Religion.
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one of the 12 personal followers of Christ.
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one of the 70 followers sent forth by Christ. Luke 10:1.
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any other professed follower of Christ in His lifetime.
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any follower of Christ.
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Disciple, a member of the Disciples of Christ.
verb (used with object)
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Archaic. to convert into a disciple.
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Obsolete. to teach; train.
noun
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a follower of the doctrines of a teacher or a school of thought
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one of the personal followers of Christ (including his 12 apostles) during his earthly life
Synonym Usage
See pupil 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of disciple
First recorded before 900; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin discipulus, equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + -cip(ere), combining form of capere “to take” + -ulus -ule; replacing Middle English deciple, from Anglo-French de(s)ciple; replacing Old English discipul, from Latin, as above
Explanation
A disciple is a follower or a fan of someone. You might consider yourself to be a disciple of your favorite yoga teacher. The noun disciple comes from the Latin word discipulus, which means "student, learner, or follower." One of the earliest places disciple showed up was in the Bible, where it means "a follower of Jesus," sometimes specifically one of the twelve Apostles. It's still used that way in religious speech and writing, but it can also describe a serious, dedicated follower or student of a teacher or leader.
Vocabulary lists containing disciple
Persepolis
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The Poet X
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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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.
Chaitanya Tamhane's The Disciple won the best screenplay award at Venice a few years later - Oscar-winner Afonso Cuaron came on-board as its executive producer.
From BBC • May 28, 2025
“The Disciple of Experience,” as Part 1 is titled, chronicles the artist’s formative years and development of working methods.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2024
He is a prop, there merely to jimmy Abasiama into conflict with forces he has nothing to do with: the deceased Disciple and the noisy house itself.
From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2019
John, the so-called Beloved Disciple, is identified this way only in the Gospel of John and may have been his followers’ way of giving their mentor special status among the disciples.
From Salon • Sep. 16, 2012
So I call my aunt, the Garden Disciple.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
