saint

American  

[seynt] / seɪnt /

noun

1. any of certain persons of exceptional holiness of life, formally recognized as such by the Christian Church, especially by canonization.

2. a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence.

3. a founder, sponsor, or patron, as of a movement or organization.

4. (in certain religious groups) a designation applied by the members to themselves.

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verb (used with object)

saints, present (3rd person singular) sainted, past participle, past sainting present participle

1. to enroll formally among the saints recognized by the Church.

2. to give the name of saint to; reckon as a saint.

saint British  

/ seɪnt, sənt /

noun

1. a person who after death is formally recognized by a Christian Church, esp the Roman Catholic Church, as having attained, through holy deeds or behaviour, a specially exalted place in heaven and the right to veneration

2. a person of exceptional holiness or goodness

3. (plural) Bible the collective body of those who are righteous in God's sight

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verb

1. (tr) to canonize; recognize formally as a saint

saint Cultural  

1. In Christianity, a holy person, living or dead; a person who has been saved (see salvation) (see also salvation). Saint is the French word for “holy.” Many churches reserve the title of saint for persons who have died faithful to their Christian commitment. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church require certain procedures before people can be officially named saints; this procedure is called canonization.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• saintdom
  noun
• outsaint
  verb (used with object)
• saintless
  adjective
• supersaint
  noun
• saintlike
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has sainted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have sainted
  perfect
• am sainting
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been sainting
  perfect progressive
• is sainting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• saints
  singular 3rd person
• has been sainting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• are sainting
  progressive
• sainting
  participle

Past

• had sainted
  perfect
• had been sainting
  perfect progressive
• were sainting
  progressive plural
• was sainting
  progressive singular
• sainted
  participle
• sainted
  simple

Future

• will saint
  simple
• will have sainted
  perfect
• will have been sainting
  perfect progressive
• will be sainting
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of saint

before 1000; Middle English (noun and v.) < Old French (noun) < Latin sānctus sacred, adj. use of past participle of sancīre to consecrate, equivalent to sanc- (akin to sacer sacred ) + -tus past participle suffix; replacing Old English sanct < Latin, as above

Explanation

A saint is a person who is very holy — or just very good. If you gave all your money away to charity, some people might consider you a saint. Saint can refer to a person who is officially recognized as holy within a particular faith or religion. However, any person who is considered deeply religious or especially generous could be called a saint. You might say that someone is a saint if they go to religious services every day, or if they spend a lot of time volunteering at a school or at a hospital.

Example Sentences

Saint Augustine and the Dominican friar who baptized me.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

EF took in the kindergartners through sixth-grade students from Saint Mark’s, an Episcopal school, after it burned down in the Eaton fire.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

While the majority of the south is Shia, Farah said Israel's demolitions in Yarun have included "the church hall, a convent and the Saint George school".

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

In the 1990s, Italian luxury fashion brand Krizia’s collection included women wearing cassock-like dresses, while Italian fashion designer Stefano Pilati’s 2010 line for Yves Saint Laurent played on the attire of Catholic nuns.

From Salon • May 17, 2026

He never did settle down here in Saint Catharines with us.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan