bible

noun

bi·​ble ˈbī-bəl 

1

capitalized, religion

a

: the sacred scriptures of Christians comprising the Old Testament and the New Testament

b

: the sacred scriptures of some other religion (such as Judaism)

2

obsolete : book

3

capitalized religion : a copy or an edition of the Bible

gave each of her grandchildren a Bible

4

: a publication that is preeminent especially in authoritativeness or wide readership

the fisherman's bible

the bible of the entertainment industry

Synonyms

• Book
• Good Book
• Holy Writ
• Scripture

Examples of bible in a Sentence

She gave each of her grandchildren a Bible.

The book is famous among foodies—it's the gourmet's bible.

The magazine is now considered the bible of the plastics industry.

Recent Examples on the Web

Debrett’s, Britain’s bible of all things etiquette, published a piece in 2023 on the new rules of cell phone use. —Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025

Trump sneakers, boots, bibles, guitars, gold medallions and coins? —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025

During his swearing in, Trump appeared not to have his hand placed on either of the bibles that his wife, first lady Melania Trump, was holding beside him. —Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2025

Over the years, Trump has leveraged his fame and his name to promote dozens of products, dabbling in hats, books, bibles, wristwatches and bottled water. —Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin biblia, from Greek, plural of biblion book, diminutive of byblos papyrus, book, from Byblos, ancient Phoenician city from which papyrus was exported

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

Bible

noun

Bi·​ble

ˈbī-bəl

1

a

: a book made up of the writings accepted by Christians as coming from God

b

: a book containing the sacred writings of some other religion

2

not capitalized : a publication widely read and considered very important

the bible of show business

Etymology

Middle English Bible "the Bible," from early French Bible (same meaning), from Latin biblia (same meaning), from Greek biblia (plural) "books," derived from Byblos, ancient city in Phoenicia from which the Greeks imported papyrus