baptism

American  

[bap-tiz-uhm] / ˈbæp tɪz əm /

noun

• baptisms
  plural

1. Ecclesiastical. a ceremonial immersion in water, or application of water, as an initiatory rite or sacrament of the Christian church.

2. any similar ceremony or action of initiation, dedication, etc.

   Synonyms:

   introduction, admittance, induction

3. a trying or purifying experience or initiation.

4. Christian Science. purification of thought and character.

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baptism British  

/ ˈbæpˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. a Christian religious rite consisting of immersion in or sprinkling with water as a sign that the subject is cleansed from sin and constituted as a member of the Church

2. the act of baptizing or of undergoing baptism

3. any similar experience of initiation, regeneration, or dedication

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baptism Cultural  

1. The ceremony of initiation into Christianity; in most Christian churches, it is considered a sacrament. Persons baptized either have water poured on them or are immersed in water; some groups of Christians (see also Christian) insist on immersion. The effect of baptism, in Christian belief, is to cleanse persons of their sins, so that they are born into a new life with Jesus. Most churches baptize members when they are infants, but some groups, like the Baptists, insist on adult baptism. Jesus himself was baptized. (See John the Baptist.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rebaptism
  noun
• baptismal
  adjective
• postbaptismal
  adjective
• pseudobaptismal
  adjective
• baptismally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• baptisms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of baptism

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Late Latin baptisma, from Greek bapt(ízein) “to immerse” ( see baptize) + -isma -ism; replacing Middle English bapteme, from Old French, from Late Latin, as above

Explanation

In the Christian church, baptism is a rite that symbolizes spiritual purification and rebirth. If you’ve had a baptism, it probably involved being dipped in water or having water sprinkled on you, lots of proud relatives, and hopefully cake afterwards. The word baptism can be traced to the Greek word baptismos, meaning “ceremonial washing.” This cleansing rite typically takes place when you’re a child and is often seen as an initiation into the church. Baptism can be used more broadly to describe other kinds of initiations as well. If you go through a difficult experience on your first day on the job, you could say that was your baptism as a customer service rep.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

baptism baptisms

After a section about his own adult baptism, the pinnacle of his faith journey, Vance launches, jarringly, into a chapter about his views of the international order.

From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026

The “Bachelorette” debacle is a harsh baptism for the new leadership at Disney—Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro and President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026

Balfe: It was a bit of a baptism of fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

Michael Carrick looked to have been handed a baptism of fire with Manchester City and Arsenal dished up in the first two games of his reign.

From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026

No report cards, no baptism certificates in the chest of drawers.

From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer

In tracking our friendship over decades, we can also mark our way by the sacraments: marriages, baptisms, First Communions, etc.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

He attended Catholic school and remembers an active community in Mobile filled with baptisms, weddings and first communions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2025

Thirty-four parishes in Baltimore report more funerals than baptisms and conversions combined.

From Seattle Times ● May 23, 2024

It says there had been 15 baptisms in the area of potential asylum seekers since 2014, seven of which were performed by Rev Firth.

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2024

On Sunday, Naomi walked with the rest of the congregation to the river for all the baptisms that had been put off during the winter.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez