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• faith
  faith

  noun

  confidence or trust in a person or thing.
• Faith
  Faith

  noun

  a female given name.

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faith

¹ American  

[fayth] / feɪθ /

noun

• faiths
  plural

1. 

   confidence or trust in a person or thing.

   faith in another's ability.

2. belief that is not based on proof.

   He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.

3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion.

   the firm faith of the Pilgrims.

4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc..

   to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.

5. a system of religious belief.

   the Christian faith;

   the Jewish faith.

6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc..

   Failure to appear would be breaking faith.

7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc..

   He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.

8. Christian Theology. the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.

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idioms

1. in faith, in truth; indeed.

   In faith, he is a fine lad.

Faith ² American  

[fayth] / feɪθ /

noun

1. a female given name.

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faith British  

/ feɪθ /

noun

1. strong or unshakeable belief in something, esp without proof or evidence

2. a specific system of religious beliefs

   the Jewish faith

3. Christianity trust in God and in his actions and promises

4. a conviction of the truth of certain doctrines of religion, esp when this is not based on reason

5. complete confidence or trust in a person, remedy, etc

6. any set of firmly held principles or beliefs

7. allegiance or loyalty, as to a person or cause (esp in the phrases keep faith , break faith )

8. insincerity or dishonesty

9. honesty or sincerity, as of intention in business (esp in the phrase in good faith )

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interjection

1. archaic indeed; really (also in the phrases by my faith , in faith )

faith More Idioms  

1. see act of faith; in bad (good) faith; leap of faith; on faith; pin one's hopes (faith) on.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multifaith
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• faiths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of faith

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English feith, from Anglo-French fed, Old French feid, feit, from Latin fidem, accusative of fidēs “trust,” derivative of fīdere “to trust”; see confide

Explanation

When you have faith, you trust or believe in something very strongly. Some people have faith in a higher being, others put their faith behind the Red Sox. This noun comes from the Old French word feid, meaning “faith, belief, trust, confidence, pledge.” It's often used when describing religion or the supernatural: people have faith in God, or actually refer to the religion they practice as their faith. Some choose to have the same amount of faith in a good friend or a well written recipe — anything that will come through for them in a time of need.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

faith Faith faiths

The Pentagon memo establishing the office says it cannot “compel religious participation” or diminish the rights of service members, civilian employees or family members “of any faith or no faith.”

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

As their voices rise, David becomes suddenly present, joining in and raising his arms, withered and white, in an act of confident faith and final resolve.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

I’ve been laid off multiple times in my short career and I have lost faith that the traditional career spanning decades at one company even exists anymore.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

The initial phase of contract talks still would have union and county representatives seeking to hammer out a mutually beneficial deal, with a presumption that both sides would negotiate in good faith.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

If only the rest of the world shared his faith in me.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Faith is obviously so important to you, and I’ve heard you many times refer to it as your “authentic why.”

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026

Kacey Musgraves headlined a tribute to late country legend Dolly Parton, while Teddy Swims, Sombr and Raye offered a soulful tribute to crooner George Michael, 40 years after the release of his landmark album "Faith."

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

As Johns Hopkins art historian Stephen J. Campbell recounts in his 2020 book, “Andrea Mantegna: Humanist Aesthetics, Faith, and the Force of Images,” scholars agree to disagree.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

The young victims were identified by the authorities as Curvontay Swygert, 16; Aahliya Garcia, 17; Faith Samuel, 18; Izabelle Salaz-Stephens, 19; and Monte Nunn, 29.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Another fifteen or twenty cars almost rear-ended us, sitting motionless in the middle of Highway 6, before Faith started edging the Sunbird forward.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

As a new season kicks off, fans of all faiths pray in the hope of victory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

But the law still stipulated that prime ministers of those faiths could not be involved - "directly or indirectly" - in advising during the process of making Church appointments.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Somerville said Scotland had a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities and faiths, including those seeking refuge and asylum from war and persecution.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

They say the revised list is designed to reflect practical usage while still ensuring that service members of all faiths have access to chaplain services.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026

He had scrimped and saved enough money to build a home for elderly Jews in Hilversum—for the elderly of all faiths, in fact, for Willem was against any system of segregation.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• church
• conviction
• denomination
• doctrine
• principle
• religion
• sect
• teaching