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Baptist

American  
[bap-tist] / ˈbæp tɪst /

noun

  • Baptists
    plural
  1. a member of a Christian denomination that baptizes believers by immersion and that is usually Calvinistic in doctrine.

  2. (lowercase) a person who baptizes.

  3. the Baptist. John the Baptist.


adjective

  1. Also Baptistic of or relating to Baptists or their doctrines or practices.

Baptist British  
/ ˈbæptɪst /

noun

  1. a member of any of various Christian sects that affirm the necessity of baptism (usually of adults and by immersion) following a personal profession of the Christian faith

  2. See John the Baptist

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. denoting, relating to, or characteristic of any Christian sect that affirms the necessity of baptism following a personal profession of the Christian faith

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


Etymology

Origin of Baptist

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English baptiste, from Old French, from Late Latin baptista, from Greek baptistḗs, equivalent to bapt(ízein) “to baptize ” + -istēs -ist


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Wayland Baptist University is cutting graduate tuition at its flagship campus by more than 35%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

For the faithful entering Christ Our Savior Catholic Parish in Santa Ana, the statue of Saint John the Baptist placing holy water on the head of Jesus represented a core tenant of Christianity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

He studied theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and is the grandson of a Baptist preacher.

From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026

There, he became deeply involved in a struggle over control of the village's Particular Baptist chapel.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

We passed by Friendship Baptist without Uncle Darnell making mention of the Arabian Knight or his sword, plastered into the yellow brick face of the church.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia

By then, he had become caught up in a fierce dispute among village Baptists.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

Born in Michigan and raised in Glendale by devout Baptists, he became conscious of “the shame and the degradation” of poverty when his father’s business ventures flopped.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2024

Both are Baptists who talk about faith values.

From Slate ● Mar. 4, 2024

Considering the sexual abuse scandals within the Catholic church and the Southern Baptists, I find it strange that so many Christians are concerned about Freemasons and Shriners and "the Illuminati" molesting their children.

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2023

If the Baptists hadn’t taken upon themselves the religious conversion of the Congolese.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

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