Christ

American  

[krahyst] / kraɪst /

noun

Christs plural

1. Jesus of Nazareth, held by Christians to be the fulfillment of prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the eventual coming of a Messiah.

2. the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament (used chiefly in versions of the New Testament).

3. someone regarded as similar to Jesus of Nazareth.

---

interjection

1. Sometimes Offensive. (used as an oath or strong expression of disbelief, dismay, awe, disappointment, pain, etc.)

Christ British  

/ kraɪst /

noun

1. Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus Christ), regarded by Christians as fulfilling Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah

2. the Messiah or anointed one of God as the subject of Old Testament prophecies

3. an image or picture of Christ

---

interjection

1. taboo an oath expressing annoyance, surprise, etc

Christ ¹ Cultural  

1. A title for Jesus meaning “Messiah” or “anointed one.”

---

Christ ² Cultural  

1. A title by which Christians (see also Christian) refer to Jesus. The word is a Greek translation of the Hebrew messiah, meaning “the anointed one.”

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Christly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Christs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Christ

Learned respelling of Middle English, Old English Crīst < Latin Chrīstus < Greek chrīstos anointed, translation of Hebrew māshīaḥ anointed, Messiah

Example Sentences

The United Church of Christ has gone from roughly 8,000 churches and 2.25 million members in 1960 to 4,485 churches and 683,936 members—a 70% membership decline.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

The El Niño phenomenon was first observed by Peruvian fishermen in the 1600s, who nicknamed it El Niño de Navidad - Christ Child in Spanish.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

"I have come to meet Jesus Christ through the words of the pope," 30-year-old police officer Marta Perez told AFP.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

Christ never looked down on itinerants, famously saying, “The Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026

And, of course, there were references to the examples of Christ and the early martyrs.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson