Baptist
Americannoun
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Baptists
plural
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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:
And for those that preach that he is a person of faith, my granddad, a lay Baptist minister, always said, you know, faith without action —
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
Later, hundreds of people attended a meeting beside St John the Baptist Church on the Garvaghy Road for an update on the talks process.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
In a region dotted with Southern Baptist churches, county leaders have historically focused on small government, constraining taxes and supporting police.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
There, he became deeply involved in a struggle over control of the village's Particular Baptist chapel.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
“Surely you’re not suggesting using the baptistry,” said Mrs. Larkin, a staunch Baptist and lifelong member of the First Baptist Church.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
By then, he had become caught up in a fierce dispute among village Baptists.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
Both are Baptists who talk about faith values.
From Slate ● Mar. 4, 2024
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
But like the Southern Baptists and other conservative denominations, the Assemblies gradually dropped their separatist strictures as their membership prospered and spread.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
