discipleship

American  

[dih-sahy-puhl-ship] / dɪˈsaɪ pəlˌʃɪp /

noun

• discipleships
  plural

1. the condition or situation of being a disciple, a follower, or a student of some philosophy, especially a follower of Christ.

   The priest was known for his lifelong discipleship to St. Thomas Aquinas.

2. the group of original followers of Christ in His lifetime.

   The key to Jesus' discipleship was his personal trust in his disciples.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• discipleships
  plural

Etymology

Origin of discipleship

disciple ( def. ) + -ship ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

discipleship discipleships

Young-Bruehl, who studied philosophy under Arendt, possessed the advantages of discipleship and living memory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

NOS members were also discouraged from spending time outside their "discipleship group", including with friends or family, the court heard.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025

Another uncommitted voter is Mr. Blundell’s mother, Tina Molyneux, who ministers at local churches as well as being head of discipleship and social justice in the diocese of Oxford.

From New York Times ● May 17, 2023

A friend of Floyd’s had already moved to the Twin Cities as part of a church discipleship program that offered men a route to self-sufficiency by changing their environment and helping them find jobs.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 10, 2020

And it was clear that she gave him adoring discipleship—the discipleship of a young girl, long motherless, who had drawn from him all the elements of thought and will in her own character.

From Masterman and Son by W. J. (William James) Dawson

But Ruskin outlived all discipleships and transcended almost all the prose writers of his period in a style the elements of emotional power in which still preserve their secret.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6 "English Language" to "Epsom Salts" by Various