faith
noun
confidence or trust in a person or thing.
Trivia Time
Faith comes from a Latin word meaning what?
faith
1 American
[feyth]
/ feɪθ /
noun
-
faiths
plural
-
confidence or trust in a person or thing.
faith in another's ability.
-
belief that is not based on proof.
He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.
-
belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion.
the firm faith of the Pilgrims.
-
belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc..
to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
-
a system of religious belief.
the Christian faith;
the Jewish faith.
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the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc..
Failure to appear would be breaking faith.
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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.
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Christian Theology. the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.
idioms
Faith
2
American
[feyth]
/ feɪθ /
noun
faith
British
/ feɪθ /
noun
-
strong or unshakeable belief in something, esp without proof or evidence
-
a specific system of religious beliefs
the Jewish faith
-
Christianity trust in God and in his actions and promises
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a conviction of the truth of certain doctrines of religion, esp when this is not based on reason
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complete confidence or trust in a person, remedy, etc
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any set of firmly held principles or beliefs
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allegiance or loyalty, as to a person or cause (esp in the phrases keep faith , break faith )
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insincerity or dishonesty
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honesty or sincerity, as of intention in business (esp in the phrase in good faith )
interjection
faith
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of faith
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”; see confide
Explanation
When you have faith, you trust or believe in something very strongly. Some people have faith in a higher being, others put their faith behind the Red Sox. This noun comes from the Old French word feid, meaning “faith, belief, trust, confidence, pledge.” It's often used when describing religion or the supernatural: people have faith in God, or actually refer to the religion they practice as their faith. Some choose to have the same amount of faith in a good friend or a well written recipe — anything that will come through for them in a time of need.
Vocabulary lists containing faith
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 6
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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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.
See Examples For:
It’s not just that he regularly quotes scripture or speaks openly of his faith.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
The Human Rights Foundation had organized numerous panels at the convention to make clear that such faith is a privilege of the developed world.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
The £52.2m fee underlined the faith United's recruitment department had in Yoro's potential.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Bilal said faith in politics, government and corporations is not high among his peers, but he’s trying to grow a network of young people to cultivate and support future leaders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
“I have faith, Miss Mira, that you’ll reach your goal, God willing.”
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Faith has simply passed from one generation to the next, the way traditions do when no one tries to stop them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Instead Epstein sent her to Faith Kates’s modeling agency Next Management for a job interview.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
The guitar played by George Michael in the music video for Faith is expected to fetch £100,000 at auction.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
"My good Samaritan," Harp said when she appeared on stage with Trump at a "Faith and Freedom Coalition" meeting in 2018.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
I held the other ten out for Faith.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
McLoughlin said Sylvia Merrigan helped her organise the event and it brought communities and people from different faiths and backgrounds together.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
The Becket Fund defends religious liberty for people of disparate faiths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
This includes excluding other major faiths including Judaism, one of the foundational belief systems of the traditional Christian faith.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
AI systems will in time be fully trained on the entire record of human history, consciousness, feeling and art and literature and faiths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
People don’t know that Islam is one of the three Abrahamic faiths, Christianity and Judaism being the other two.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
