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

Domingo, Hamilton, Rocky and Williams all individually grace four special covers of the fashion bible’s May 2025 issue — celebrating their views on Black excellence, resiliency, and power. —Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025

Suddenly, the pursuit of products free of pore-clogging ingredients became my religion, and Pavitt’s Non-Comedogenic Ingredients Checker became my bible. —Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 29 Apr. 2025

The commemorative coins, which include gold and silver busts of Trump, emerged during the 2024 presidential campaign as one of several merchandising ventures Trump profited from -- a list that also included watches, sneakers, bibles and guitars. —Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2025

In the bible, Jesus is resurrected three days later. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Mar. 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

Rhymes for bible

• cybele
• libel
• scribal
• tribal
• intertribal

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