Scripture
Americannoun
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Also called Holy Scripture. Also called Holy Scriptures. Often Scriptures. the sacred writings of the Old or New Testaments or both together.
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(often lowercase) any writing or book, especially when of a sacred or religious nature.
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(sometimes lowercase) a particular passage from the Bible; text.
noun
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Also called: Holy Scripture. Holy Writ. the Scriptures. Christianity the Old and New Testaments
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any book or body of writings, esp when regarded as sacred by a particular religious group
noun
Other Word Forms
- anti-Scripture adjective
- pro-Scripture adjective
- subscripture noun
Etymology
Origin of Scripture
1250–1300; Middle English < Latin scrīptūra writing. See script, -ure
Explanation
Scripture is a sacred religious text. It usually refers to the Christian Bible, but it can refer to other religions' texts as well. The noun scripture is most often used for specifically Christian writing, and it's often capitalized. However, it can refer to any religion's sacred writing: "Hindu scripture is written on the walls of the temple." In the 1300s, scripture sometimes meant simply "writing," though it more often referred to sacred words, especially in the Christian Bible. Its root word is the Latin script, or "writing."
Vocabulary lists containing scripture
The Write Stuff: Scrib, Script
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"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
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Inherit the Wind
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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.
Appeared in the November 14, 2025, print edition as 'The Catholic Case for Purgatory in Scripture'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
The judgment of Solomon, found in Chapter 3 of 1 Kings, is one of the most familiar stories in the Hebrew Scripture.
From Slate • Sep. 5, 2025
If you read “The Scripture of the Golden Eternity,” you really see how much he was impacted and inspired by Buddhism and how much he actually understood the teachings.
From Salon • Jul. 30, 2025
Taylor reads the Scientific Statement of Being, and Johnson a selection from Scripture.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2024
And ‘The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.’
From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
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.
