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• creed
  creed

  noun

  any system, doctrine, or formula of religious belief, as of a denomination.
• Creed
  Creed

  noun

  Frederick. 1871–1957, Canadian inventor, resident in Scotland from 1897, noted for his invention of the teleprinter, first used in 1912

creed

American  

[kreed] / krid /

noun

• creeds
  plural

1. any system, doctrine, or formula of religious belief, as of a denomination.

   Synonyms:

   dogma, credo, conviction, faith

2. any system or codification of belief or of opinion.

   Synonyms:

   dogma, credo, conviction, faith

3. an authoritative, formulated statement of the chief articles of Christian belief, as the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, or the Athanasian Creed.

4. the creed. Apostles' Creed.

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creed ¹ British  

/ kriːd /

noun

1. a concise, formal statement of the essential articles of Christian belief, such as the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed

2. any statement or system of beliefs or principles

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Creed ² British  

/ kriːd /

noun

1. Frederick. 1871–1957, Canadian inventor, resident in Scotland from 1897, noted for his invention of the teleprinter, first used in 1912

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• creedlessness
  noun
• precreed
  noun
• credal
  adjective
• creedal
  adjective
• creeded
  adjective
• creedless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• creeds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of creed

First recorded before 1000; Middle English crede, Old English crēda, from Latin crēdō “I believe”; see credo

Explanation

Without reading the long document about the group's beliefs — its creed — he knew he didn't fit in, because he just couldn't bow to the 12-foot statue of a rabbit, no matter what it symbolized. A creed can be a formal doctrine, or system of beliefs, for a church or religious group, or it can be a philosophy, or personal set of beliefs. The origins of the word are in the Latin crēdō, "I believe," once specific to the Christian faith, but by the 17th century it was used for many different faiths. Companies, societies, and disciplines might also adopt a creed — as in a political creed, a national creed, or a management creed — that lays out a particular belief-system or way of doing things.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

creed Creed creeds

Instead of suffering through that, I watched people of every imaginable race, creed, sexual orientation and color enjoying life.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026

The first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, defined America as dedicated to the Declaration’s creed that all men are created equal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

That creed is certainly still part of the ideological atmosphere in this country, but multiple generations of Americans since the 1960s have grown up surrounded by contrary evidence.

From Salon ● May 31, 2026

“It ain’t about no color, creed and race. ... It’s about the people.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026

A friend once asked me how I could reconcile my creed of African nationalism with a belief in dialectical materialism.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Deborah Nansteel doubling as the Omniscient Seashell and one of Aithra’s servants, and Catherine Creed as the other servant, ably filled out the cast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

It was the first title released by Vantage Studios, a new subsidiary helming Ubisoft's top franchises including "Assassin's Creed", "Far Cry" and "Rainbow Six".

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

The company said the game, “Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced,” had already sold 3.5 million copies, exceeding annual expectations in just 14 days.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

The year-on-year comparison was weighed down by the lack of a major release in the quarter to contend with last year's blockbuster "Assassin's Creed Shadows", released in March, Ubisoft said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Instead, she began a slow recitation of the Apostles’ Creed to begin the rosary.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Judaism has its creeds and values, but the Jewish people are anything but a consensus-minded group of true believers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

For decades Auroville held fast to its lofty ideals as a self-governing haven for yoga enthusiasts and seekers of spiritual freedom of "all creeds and nationalities".

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

It uses a notoriously vague and bureaucratic 14-factor test, which includes things like regular worship services, established creeds, and an ordained clergy.

From Slate ● May 22, 2025

It is a multi-cultural melting pot, in which people of all different creeds and colours meet every four years.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2024

I watched him closely that night, and to me it seemed he was trying to live in both worlds, to be a loyal adherent to all creeds.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Related Words

• doctrine
• dogma
• faith
• ideology
• persuasion
• profession
• religion
• tenet