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.

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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

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interjection

1. taboo an oath expressing annoyance, surprise, etc

Christ ¹ Cultural  

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

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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.”

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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

See Examples For:

Christ Christs

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

But to access this lucidity — the answer to all strife from Christ to “Chronovisor” — you must pay close attention.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

Among the 70-year-old's most famous pieces, produced with his brother Gao Qiang, is a sculpture comprising a squad of Mao-like figures holding Jesus Christ at gunpoint.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Join senior risk, compliance and security leaders at Dow Jones Global Horizons, Sept. 14—16 at Christ Church, Oxford.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

“Are you sure you called Christ Temple Church?”

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

Rokeach, who died in 1988, ultimately said that the three Christs cured him of his “God-like delusion” that he could change them.

From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2020

Three Christs An empathetic psychiatrist treats three men suffering from schizophrenia in 1959 Michigan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2019

But that performance pales compared to his role in Jon Avnet’s Three Christs, where he plays one of a trio of schizophrenics who claim to be Jesus.

From The Verge ● Sep. 22, 2017

They don’t usually believe in flying saucers, like the 39 suicides of Heaven’s Gate, or homegrown Christs with a taste for classic rock, like the Branch Davidians of Waco.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2013

Unlike the suffering, earthbound Christs depicted at eye level on the church walls, our Christ Pantocrator was clearly transcendent, all-powerful, heaven- bestriding.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides