faith

¹

[ feyth ]

noun

1. confidence or trust in a person or thing:

   faith in another's ability.

2. belief that is not based on proof:

   He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.

3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion:

   the firm faith of the Pilgrims.

4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.:

   to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.

5. a system of religious belief:

   the Christian faith;

   the Jewish faith.

6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.:

   Failure to appear would be breaking faith.

7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.:

   He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.

8. Christian Theology. the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.

Faith

²

[ feyth ]

noun

1. a female given name.

faith

/ feɪθ /

noun

1. strong or unshakeable belief in something, esp without proof or evidence
2. a specific system of religious beliefs

   the Jewish faith

3. Christianity trust in God and in his actions and promises
4. a conviction of the truth of certain doctrines of religion, esp when this is not based on reason
5. complete confidence or trust in a person, remedy, etc
6. any set of firmly held principles or beliefs
7. allegiance or loyalty, as to a person or cause (esp in the phrases keep faith , break faith )
8. bad faith
   insincerity or dishonesty
9. good faith
   honesty or sincerity, as of intention in business (esp in the phrase in good faith )

interjection

1. archaic.
   indeed; really (also in the phrases by my faith , in faith )

Other Words From

• multi·faith adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of faith¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English feith, from Anglo-French fed, Old French feid, feit, from Latin fidem, accusative of fidēs “trust,” derivative of fīdere “to trust”; confide

Word History and Origins

Origin of faith¹

C12: from Anglo-French feid , from Latin fidēs trust, confidence

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in faith, in truth; indeed:

   In faith, he is a fine lad.

More idioms and phrases containing faith

see act of faith ; in bad (good) faith ; leap of faith ; on faith ; pin one's hopes (faith) on .

Example Sentences

Thanks to the courage of the leaders present, we take a major stride toward a future in which people of all faiths and backgrounds can live together in peace and prosperity.

From Washington Post

Thank you François-Henri Pinault, Laurent Claquin and many others for taking this leap of faith.

From Essence.com

Twitter updated its civic integrity policy on Thursday, saying it plans to label or remove any misleading information about the election results or any disputed claims that could undermine the faith in the election itself.

From Fortune

GM’s role in making the Badger, then, will almost certainly help bolster buyers’ faith in the truck’s build quality.

From Fortune

It was, rather, an article of geeky faith — an innate confidence that karaoke’s survival instincts would propel it toward innovation ahead of everybody else.

From Ozy

Charlie ridiculed my faith and culture and I died defending his right to do so.

From The Daily Beast

He hits bottom at Rocamadour, a sanctuary in the Dordogne known as a citadel of faith devoted to Mary.

From The Daily Beast

The comedian responded to the deadly attack on a French satirical magazine by renewing his recent criticisms of the Islamic faith.

From The Daily Beast

After the screening, Jolie, who says she renewed her faith in “the divine” during filming, met briefly with the pope.

From The Daily Beast

An atheist counsels his fellow non-believers on how not to talk to people of faith.

From The Daily Beast

There are three things a wise man will not trust: the wind, the sunshine of an April day, and woman's plighted faith.

From Project Gutenberg

Each religion claims that its own Bible is the direct revelation of God, and is the only true Bible teaching the only true faith.

From Project Gutenberg

The old Chippewa has never deviated from the faith of his fathers, as he still adheres to all their rites and ceremonies.

From Project Gutenberg

I opposed this, fearing, of course, that the French and even the Gentiles might interpret this as an affront to our faith.

From Project Gutenberg

They have a living faith in the potency of the Horse-Guards, and in the maxim that "Safe bind is sure find."

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• church
• conviction
• denomination
• doctrine
• principle
• religion
• sect
• teaching