TheBible is the holy book on which the Jewish and Christian religions are based.
2. countable noun
A Bible is a copy of the Bible.
3. countable noun [poss NOUN]
If someone describes a book or magazine about their job or interest as their bible, they mean that it is the best and most useful book about the subject.
Bible in British English
(ˈbaɪbəl)
noun
1. the Bible
2. the English name for Tanach
3. (often not capital)
any book containing the sacred writings of a religion
4. (usually not capital)
a book regarded as authoritative
the angler's bible
Word origin
C13: from Old French, from Medieval Latin biblia books, from Greek, plural of biblion book, diminutive of biblos papyrus, from Bublos Phoenician port from which Greece obtained Egyptian papyrus
Bible in American English
(ˈbaɪbəl)
noun
1.
the sacred book of Christianity; Old Testament and New Testament: some Roman Catholic versions also include all or part of the Apocrypha
2.
the Holy Scriptures of Judaism, identical with the Old Testament of Christianity
3.
a copy or particular edition of the Scriptures
4.
any collection or book of writings sacred to a religion
the Koran is the Muslim Bible
5. [b-]
any book regarded as authoritative or official
American Standard Version, apocrypha, Authorized Version, Douay Bible, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New English Bible, Revised Standard Version, Septuagint, Vulgate
Word origin
ME & OFr < ML biblia < Gr, collection of writings, in LGr(Ec), the Scriptures (pl. of biblion, book) < biblos, papyrus, after Byblos (now Dschebēl), Phoen city from which papyrus was imported
To aid the digestive processes for all this roughage, one of the Brothers read passages from the Bible during meals.
Forbes, Bryan THE ENDLESS GAME (1993)
He was sitting in his office with a Bible open in front of him.
Wood, Ted SNOWJOB (1993)
Quotations
There's a great text in Galatians, Once you trip on it, entails Twenty-nine distinct damnations, One sure, if another failsRobert BrowningSoliloquy of the Spanish Cloister
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my pathBible: Psalms 119
the English Bible, a book which, if everything else in our language should perish, would alone suffice to show the whole extent of its beauty and powerLord MacaulayMiscellaneous Writings
No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: he is always convinced that it says what he meansGeorge Bernard Shaw
In other languages
Bible
British English: Bible /ˈbaɪbl/ NOUN
The Bible is the sacred book of the Christian religion.
American English: Bible
Arabic: الكِتَابُ الـمُقَدَّس
Brazilian Portuguese: Bíblia
Chinese: 圣经
Croatian: Biblija
Czech: bible
Danish: Bibelen
Dutch: Bijbel
European Spanish: Biblia
Finnish: Raamattu
French: Bible
German: Bibel
Greek: Βίβλος
Italian: Bibbia
Japanese: 聖書
Korean: 성경
Norwegian: Bibel
Polish: Biblia
European Portuguese: Bíblia
Romanian: Biblia
Russian: Библия
Latin American Spanish: Biblia
Swedish: bibel
Thai: คัมภีร์ไบเบิล
Turkish: İncil
Ukrainian: Біблія
Vietnamese: Kinh thánh
Definition of 'Bible'
subject word lists
See Books of the Old TestamentSee Books of the New TestamentSee Books of the ApocryphaSee characters in the BibleSee place names in the Bible
Quotations
There's a great text in Galatians, Once you trip on it, entails Twenty-nine distinct damnations, One sure, if another fails [Robert Browning – Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister]Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path [Bible: Psalms 119]the English Bible, a book which, if everything else in our language should perish, would alone suffice to show the whole extent of its beauty and power [Lord Macaulay – Miscellaneous Writings]No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: he is always convinced that it says what he means [George Bernard Shaw]
Nearby words of
Bible
beyond the pale
bias
biased
Bible
bibliography
biceps
bicker
Synonyms of 'Bible'
Bible
Explore 'Bible' in the dictionary
All related terms of 'Bible'
the Bible
the sacred writings of the Christian religion, comprising the Old and New Testaments and, in the Roman Catholic Church, the Apocrypha
Bible Belt
Parts of the southern United States are referred to as the Bible Belt because Protestants with strong beliefs have a lot of influence there.
Bible class
a class , typically one meeting weekly , for Bible study
Bible oath
an oath sworn with one's hand on the Christian Bible
Bible paper
a thin tough opaque paper used for Bibles , prayer books, and reference books
Bible story
a story from the Bible
Douay Bible
an English translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate text completed by Roman Catholic scholars at Douai in 1610
an enthusiastic or aggressive exponent of the Bible
Bible-bashing
an enthusiastic or aggressive exponent of the Bible
Bible college
an institution of higher education that specializes in Bible study, typically for the education of Protestant clergy
Bible-pounder
an enthusiastic or aggressive exponent of the Bible
Bible-puncher
an enthusiastic or aggressive exponent of the Bible
Bible reading
a passage from the Bible , esp one read in a service
Bible school
a school or study program devoted to Bible study, esp at a church
Bible-thumper
an enthusiastic or aggressive exponent of the Bible
family Bible
a large Bible used for family worship in which births , marriages , and deaths are recorded
Gideon Bible
a Bible purchased by members of a Christian organization ( Gideons International ) and placed in a hotel room, hospital ward , etc
Bishops' Bible
an English translation of the Bible made under the direction of Matthew Parker and published in 1568: the recognized translation of the Bible in England until the Authorized (King James) Version of 1611
Jerusalem Bible
a Roman Catholic version of the Bible published in 1966, translated from the French La Bible de J érusalem , produced by Dominican scholars in Jerusalem (1956)
the Bible Belt
those states of the S US where Protestant fundamentalism is dominant
New American Bible
an English translation of the Bible for the use of Roman Catholics , made by a group of U.S. scholars and published in 1970
New English Bible
a new Modern English version of the Bible and Apocrypha , published in full in 1970
King James Version
→ Authorized Version
the Authorized Version
an English translation of the Bible published in 1611 under James I