gospel

American  

[gos-puhl] / ˈgɒs pəl /

noun

1. the teachings of Jesus and the apostles; the Christian revelation.

2. the story of Christ's life and teachings, especially as contained in the first four books of the New Testament, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

3. (usually initial capital letter) any of these four books.

4. something regarded as true and implicitly believed.

   to take his report for gospel.

5. a doctrine regarded as of prime importance.

   political gospel.

6. glad tidings, especially concerning salvation and the kingdom of God as announced to the world by Christ.

7. (often initial capital letter) an extract from one of the four Gospels, forming part of the Eucharistic service in certain churches.

8. gospel music.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or proclaiming the gospel or its teachings.

   a gospel preacher.

2. in accordance with the gospel; evangelical.

3. of or relating to gospel music.

   a gospel singer.

gospel ¹ British  

/ ˈɡɒspəl /

noun

1. Also called: gospel truth.  an unquestionable truth

   to take someone's word as gospel

2. a doctrine maintained to be of great importance

3. Black religious music originating in the churches of the Southern states of the United States

4. the message or doctrine of a religious teacher

5. 1. the story of Christ's life and teachings as narrated in the Gospels

   2. the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ

   3. ( as modifier )

      the gospel story

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Gospel ² British  

/ ˈɡɒspəl /

noun

1. any of the first four books of the New Testament, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

2. a reading from one of these in a religious service

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gospel Cultural  

1. The “good news” of salvation (see also salvation) (see Gospels). Certain styles of religious music are also called “gospel.” (See spirituals (see also spirituals).)

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Other Word Forms

• nongospel adjective

Etymology

Origin of gospel

First recorded before 950; Middle English go(d)spell, Old English gōdspell ( good, spell ² ); translation of Greek euangélion “good news” ( evangel ¹ )

Example Sentences

One of its hallmarks is that workers give up their possessions and must be taken in by church members as they travel around, spreading the gospel.

From BBC

Meanwhile, "race records" - that also led to blues, gospel and R&B - were geared toward black people.

From BBC

Paulo found an unemployed gospel singer who made a living scavenging Latin America's largest trash dump.

From The Wall Street Journal

When you’re working with what you already have, you learn how to adapt: how to swap, stretch, and trust your instincts instead of treating a recipe like gospel.

From Salon

His mum "tried hard to shelter me" and filled the house with feel-good music – gospel songs, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson.

From BBC

Related Words

• dogma
• faith
• truth