disciple
Americannoun
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a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower.
a disciple of Freud.
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Religion.
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one of the 12 personal followers of Christ.
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one of the 70 followers sent forth by Christ. Luke 10:1.
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any other professed follower of Christ in His lifetime.
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any follower of Christ.
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Disciple, a member of the Disciples of Christ.
verb (used with object)
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Archaic. to convert into a disciple.
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Obsolete. to teach; train.
noun
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a follower of the doctrines of a teacher or a school of thought
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one of the personal followers of Christ (including his 12 apostles) during his earthly life
Related Words
See pupil 1.
Other Word Forms
- disciplelike adjective
- discipleship noun
- discipular adjective
Etymology
Origin of disciple
First recorded before 900; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin discipulus, equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + -cip(ere), combining form of capere “to take” + -ulus -ule; replacing Middle English deciple, from Anglo-French de(s)ciple; replacing Old English discipul, from Latin, as above
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.
The letter is a road map for helping Catholics grow as disciples and then become disciple makers themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
In the meantime, Third Coast has been touring “Murmurs” featuring a Hussain disciple, Salar Nader, as soloist.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025
The first Sunday service after the arrests, streamed from pastors outside the mainland, included a meditation on the biblical account of Stephen, the first-century disciple stoned to death for his faith.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
“It’s where I’ve always been raised, coming from the SEC, you’ve got to run that ball, and me being a Nick Saban disciple, that’s just my thought process, right?”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2025
It was the institution established by the instruction of Christ to his disciple: ‘Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build....’
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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.
