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• credo
  credo

  noun

  the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed.
• Credo
  Credo

  noun

  the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed

credo

American  

[kree-doh, kray-] / ˈkri doʊ, ˈkreɪ- /

noun

• credos
  plural

1. (often initial capital letter) the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed.

2. (often initial capital letter) a musical setting of the creed, usually of the Nicene Creed.

3. any creed or formula of belief.

   Synonyms:

   philosophy, tenet, doctrine

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Credo ¹ British  

/ ˈkriːdəʊ, ˈkreɪ- /

noun

1. the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed

2. a musical setting of the Creed

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credo ² British  

/ ˈkriːdəʊ, ˈkreɪ- /

noun

1. any formal or authorized statement of beliefs, principles, or opinions

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• credos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of credo

1150–1200; Middle English < Latin: literally, I believe; first word of the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds in Latin

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Explanation

Credo is Latin for, literally, "I believe," and originally meant a particular religious belief. Now it has the far broader meaning of any system of principles that guide a person or group. There's often a faintly jokey air to the word as used today, perhaps in recognition that it once popularly held such a high-minded meaning. A hedonist's credo might be simply "party on," or "enjoy the ride;" an actor's "the show must go on." Politicians have credos, and so too, presumably, do rappers and weather forecasters.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

credo Credo credos

Opting for the big tech credo of “move fast and break things,” they vastly overestimated their abilities — and the American people’s tolerance.

From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026

Irving calls this decade a time to continue to contribute, and he’s living that credo.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026

In many ways, this could be Byrd’s eternal credo.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

McCollum borrowed his credo from “The Art of War.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

To support this credo, he submitted a goodly number of original drawings and oil paintings.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Coherent and Credo Technology each fell 13%, Marvell fell 7.8%, ARM Holdings fell 6.7% and Intel lost 6.6%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Credo, a leader in AI data center connectivity, acquired DustPhotonics for $750 million and 920,000 shares to expand its optical offerings.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

The companies’ combined portfolio is expected to drive more than $500 million in optical revenue in fiscal 2027, Credo said.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 14, 2026

Credo Technology Group soared 18% after the electrical cable provider said it would buy chip maker DustPhotonics as it bids to become the dominant player in AI connectivity.

From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026

The treatment of the Credo that follows is in the highest degree original and uncommon.

From Life of Beethoven by Anton Schindler

These include its “language of righteousness, of piety, of guilt, of sin,” along with “orthodoxies, credos, purity tests and jargon.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Here’s a look at crackpot credos that flourished and foundered in L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2022

Then: Protests fueled by Christian credos with a soundtrack of gospel music and spirituals.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2020

One of their credos is “Hang Out, Do Good,” which is actually the name of one of the resistance organizations out here.

From New York Times ● Nov. 7, 2019

Then, recovering his stoical bearing, which for a moment had been shaken, he submitted himself calmly to his fate, - while the Spaniards, gathering around, muttered their credos for the salvation of his soul!

From History of the Conquest of Peru; with a preliminary view of the civilization of the Incas by William Hickling Prescott

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Related Words

• creed
• philosophy
• tenet

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