Baptist
Americannoun
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a member of a Christian denomination that baptizes believers by immersion and that is usually Calvinistic in doctrine.
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(lowercase) a person who baptizes.
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the Baptist. John the Baptist.
adjective
noun
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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
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See John the Baptist
adjective
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:
For the second selection, Baptist decided to skip “Sweet Caroline” and hunt for something that felt more British.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Baptist minister Justin Kennedy, who says he underwent conversion practices in his early 20s, says a ban will help prevent harm.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
The former seminarian, whose grandfather was a Baptist preacher, "has the right, wonderful principles and all of the plans to put into effect that will make the country great again," she said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026
His father was a Southern Baptist minister, and his Sunday morning sermons were broadcast on the radio in the afternoons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
That was a religion, the same as Baptist or Catholic or Jew.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Both are Baptists who talk about faith values.
From Slate ● Mar. 4, 2024
To those unfamiliar with the varied expressions of American religiosity, the differences between how faith influences McCarthy and Johnson — two Southern Baptists — may be hard to parse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
In a video circulated to Southern Baptists last week, Mr. McLaurin praised the work of the denomination’s pastors, teachers and seminary professors.
From New York Times ● Aug. 17, 2023
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
The preachers and congregations jumped even higher and shouted even louder than the Baptists I had known.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
