Scripture
noun
Often Scriptures. the sacred writings of the Old or New Testaments or both together.
Scripture
American
[skrip-cher]
/ ˈskrɪp tʃər /
noun
-
Also called Holy Scripture. Also called Holy Scriptures. Often Scriptures. the sacred writings of the Old or New Testaments or both together.
-
(often lowercase) any writing or book, especially when of a sacred or religious nature.
-
(sometimes lowercase) a particular passage from the Bible; text.
Scripture
1
British
/ ˈskrɪptʃə /
noun
-
Also called: Holy Scripture. Holy Writ. the Scriptures. Christianity the Old and New Testaments
-
any book or body of writings, esp when regarded as sacred by a particular religious group
scripture
2
British
/ ˈskrɪptʃə /
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
See Examples For:
What Scripture doesn’t command, ad nauseam or otherwise, is the coercion of other people to do those things or to pay for them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
“Throughout the Scripture, there are two kinds of leaders: those who persecute faith communities and those who protect them,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
Appeared in the November 14, 2025, print edition as 'The Catholic Case for Purgatory in Scripture'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025
But the show that set the bar for the meeting place of Southern life, politics and religion was “Designing Women,” in which characters regularly attend Sunday service and engage in conversations about Scripture.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2025
The Scripture reading was from Matthew, twenty-fifth chapter, thirtieth verse through the forty-sixth.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Tall, powerfully built and eloquent, he quoted scripture as competently as he wielded a firearm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The lesson of the scripture is that everyone can be redeemed, can change, no matter what mistakes they have made.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
The holy scripture contains the hymns and teachings of the Sikh Gurus, along with compositions by saint-poets from different spiritual traditions.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
A progressive Christian, Talarico often cites scripture, and especially words of Jesus that many conservatives pointedly ignore, to argue for values like compassion and empathy.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
Everyone was asleep except me, and I was on the sofa, reading a chapter of scripture before bed.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
