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

French ice dancers Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry are poised to win Olympic gold in Milan despite a baptism of fire in their debut season with accusations of control and manipulation flying.

From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026

His first sermon in August waxed great and long on the subject of baptism.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

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

According to Vatican statistics, around half of global Catholic baptisms take place in Africa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 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

In Ivory Coast, attiéké is often served at ceremonies such as weddings, baptisms, funerals, and community meetings.

From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2024

Dobyns was struck by the disparity between the large number of burials recorded at the parish and the far smaller number of baptisms.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann