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• faith
  faith

  noun

  confidence or trust in a person or thing.
• Faith
  Faith

  noun

  a female given name.

faith

¹ American  

[feyth] / feɪθ /

noun

• faiths
  plural

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.

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idioms

1. in faith, in truth; indeed.

   In faith, he is a fine lad.

Faith ² American  

[feyth] / feɪθ /

noun

1. a female given name.

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faith British  

/ 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. insincerity or dishonesty

9. honesty or sincerity, as of intention in business (esp in the phrase in good faith )

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interjection

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

faith More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multifaith
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• faiths
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

faith Faith faiths

He trusts his faith and his mother, who has raised him as a single parent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Starting in high school, I grew a lot more in my faith.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Exam leaks were the spark, but the anger quickly spread to deeper frustrations among young Indians over jobs, economic opportunities and a lack of faith in institutions.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

Investors should look to see whether anyone else pays cash up front to lock in wafers, which would be a measure of how little faith buyers have in the open market.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

And worse yet, I think, he had lost his faith in the family ties of the caravan.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

In an email, Show Faith by Works founder Chad Schnitger said the group had since gone in a different direction and the budget has mostly gone to build a mobile museum with bespoke video.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

Inspired by tips from Kitchn writer Faith Durand, Mary Elizabeth Williams developed a rustic homemade loaf that comes together in a single hour.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

"Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith" is far more reflective, and appears to be a deliberate attempt to set himself apart from Trump.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Following the rough-and-tumble scenes of the film’s early going, it builds to a quiet, sustained moment between Jackman, Comer and young Faith Delaney alone together as the life literally drains from Robin’s body.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

It was Faith, across the table, staring straight at me, all annoyed and confused.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

And it’s something to watch faiths whose adherents are at war with each other elsewhere in the world come together here in bonhomie to toast the Constitution.

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

Somerville said Scotland had a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities and faiths, including those seeking refuge and asylum from war and persecution.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Mr. Landor’s case is evidence it isn’t, and Congress can act for religious prisoners of all faiths.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

New religious faiths sprung from the state’s rich soil: Shakers, Mormons, and Adventists, among others.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

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