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

Ernetti produced an image he believed was akin to the Christ he witnessed, which was soon debunked as a close-up photograph of a wooden sculpture.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

When people talk about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, no one ever seems to discuss what it would’ve been like from Christ’s point of view.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

It occurs every few years and got its name—El Niño de Navidad, or the Christ child—from Peruvian fishermen, who long ago realized that Christmas sometimes brought heat that devastated fish stocks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 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

These words had been uttered by the prophet, Isaiah, who had been called the Eagle-eyed because he had looked down the dark centuries and foreseen the birth of Christ.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

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

The play acknowledges this predicament when one of the Christs remarks, “Why pay to see a comedy, when we have a comedy right here?”

From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2014

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