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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

Whatever one makes of the criticisms, the idea that the film somehow undermines public faith in the values of our civilization is silly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

"People come here ... in search of faith," visitor Marek Gizinski told AFP, calling it "something monumental".

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Safety “by the people, for the people” then, is not private policing or blind faith in the crowd.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Swansea University said it supports students through dedicated wellbeing, academic and faith services, and is maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to harassment and discrimination.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Leaders of the faith also insisted that all people should draw their own conclusions.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Epstein eventually arranged a meeting between her and the co-founder of model agency Next Management, Faith Kates, as he had promised, Anya says.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

On his index finger, Roa has a tattoo: "Faith in God."

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

Property records show it was sold by a limited liability company called Faith 5 and bought by a limited liability company called Dlareme — “emerald” backward.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 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

So I leaned halfway across the table and I didn’t care that there were three other people in the kitchen, I told Faith I was sorry.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

This is a day to marvel at the freedoms the Founding Fathers insisted we share—the freedom to practice our diverse faiths, without violence or hatred.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 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

Daniel Walker, the rabbi of the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester which was attacked last October, stresses the importance of dialogue between those of different faiths and perspectives.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026

Why does Roman Catholicism prohibit other faiths from taking Communion?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

How, for example, would religious faiths have unfolded?

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

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