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• gospel
  gospel

  noun

  the teachings of Jesus and the apostles; the Christian revelation.
• Gospel
  Gospel

  noun

  any of the first four books of the New Testament, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

gospel

American  

[gos-puhl] / ˈgɒs pəl /

noun

• gospels
  plural

1. the teachings of Jesus and the apostles; the Christian revelation.

2. the story of Christ's life and teachings, especially as contained in the first four books of the New Testament, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

3. (usually initial capital letter) any of these four books.

4. something regarded as true and implicitly believed.

   to take his report for gospel.

5. a doctrine regarded as of prime importance.

   political gospel.

6. glad tidings, especially concerning salvation and the kingdom of God as announced to the world by Christ.

7. (often initial capital letter) an extract from one of the four Gospels, forming part of the Eucharistic service in certain churches.

8. gospel music.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or proclaiming the gospel or its teachings.

   a gospel preacher.

2. in accordance with the gospel; evangelical.

3. of or relating to gospel music.

   a gospel singer.

Gospel ¹ British  

/ ˈɡɒspəl /

noun

1. any of the first four books of the New Testament, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

2. a reading from one of these in a religious service

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gospel ² British  

/ ˈɡɒspəl /

noun

1. Also called: gospel truth.  an unquestionable truth

   to take someone's word as gospel

2. a doctrine maintained to be of great importance

3. Black religious music originating in the churches of the Southern states of the United States

4. the message or doctrine of a religious teacher

5. 1. the story of Christ's life and teachings as narrated in the Gospels

   2. the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ

   3. ( as modifier )

      the gospel story

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gospel Cultural  

1. The “good news” of salvation (see also salvation) (see Gospels). Certain styles of religious music are also called “gospel.” (See spirituals (see also spirituals).)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nongospel
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gospels
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gospel

First recorded before 950; Middle English go(d)spell, Old English gōdspell ( see good, spell ²); translation of Greek euangélion “good news” ( see evangel ¹)

Explanation

Follow advice like gospel and you're following it as though it was the final word or authority on the matter. The word gospel comes from the Old English god meaning "good" and spel meaning "news, a story." In Christianity, the term "good news" refers to the story of Jesus Christ's birth, death, and resurrection. Gospel music is heard in church and sung by a gospel choir. Outside of its application to religion, the word gospel is also used to describe an idea or rule that's accepted as undoubtedly true.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gospel Gospel gospels

Don't Look Down is an album-length interrogation of his motives, insecurities and role as a father, set to a sparkling fusion of hip-hop, gospel and R&B.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Sykes’ death was a shock to the gospel singing community.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Davis first heard 19-year-old Whitney Houston, who had grown up singing in a gospel choir, at a New York City nightclub in 1983.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

This is where we find Lestat in Season 3, preaching the gospel that this is his time.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

Berkeley had few faculty positions to offer members of the Rad Lab, and, in any case, sending his people out into the world was a crucial factor in spreading the cyclotron gospel.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

The military denied the allegations and issued a detailed defense, saying the systems, code-named Lavender and The Gospel, “are merely tools” for intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

"If anyone wishes to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully," he said.

From Barron's ● May 6, 2026

“I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the church works for,” Leo XIV said.

From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026

“The message of the Gospel is very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,'” he said, quoting Matthew 5:9, vowing to seek “ways to avoid war any time that’s possible.”

From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026

She had now become a devout member of the Full Gospel Church of God on Twelfth Avenue.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

As the judge noted in her ruling, the ongoing controversy has as much to do with when and how the diagnostic gospels were compiled as the scientific validity of the ailment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

It was Tyndale’s personal encounter with the gospels that caused him to risk everything—exile, shame, poverty, imprisonment—to put the Bible into the hands of ordinary people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

She got some money from her college and entered into an obscure essay contest, writing about the Greek text of one of the gospels.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 22, 2023

Always hoped that I'd be an apostle Knew that I would make it if I tried Then when we retire, we can write the gospels So they'll still talk about us when we've died.

From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2022

James Martineau preached that the gospels could transform an individual into a believer just through their beauty, not through strict, traditional belief in every word of the Bible.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• dogma
• faith
• truth