prophet

noun

proph·​et ˈprä-fət How to pronounce prophet (audio)
1
: one who utters divinely inspired revelations: such as
a
often capitalized : the writer of one of the prophetic books of the Bible
b
capitalized : one regarded by a group of followers as the final authoritative revealer of God's will
Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah
2
: one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight
especially : an inspired poet
3
: one who foretells future events : predictor
4
: an effective or leading spokesman for a cause, doctrine, or group
5
Christian Science
a
: a spiritual seer
b
: disappearance of material sense before the conscious facts of spiritual Truth
prophethood noun

Examples of prophet in a Sentence

the words of the prophet an economist who is regarded by many as a reliable prophet of future developments in the global economy
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While some people died in the fire of smoke inhalation, others, including the 33-year-old prophet, suffered fatal gunshot wounds. Emily Blackwood, People.com, 19 Apr. 2025 Cut to: Hampton reading from The Book of Jonah, a section of the Old Testament perhaps best known for the titular prophet getting swallowed by a whale. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2025 Looking down into the pit is not a powerful moment — looking up at this teenager that is desperate to get out of the wilderness and kill this false prophet in Lottie is powerful. Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025 As a shape-shifting rock poet — a prophet with a nasal yowl — Dylan and his opaque words were particularly attractive for theorists of the literary, musical and conspiratorial varieties. Corey Kilgannon, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prophet

Word History

Etymology

Middle English prophete, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin prophēta "spokesman or interpreter of a god" (Late Latin also prophētēs "revealer of God's will, foreteller of future events"), borrowed from Greek prophḗtēs "one who interprets the will of a god to humans, interpreter," (Septuagint) "revealer of God's will," (New Testament) "inspired preacher and teacher, foreteller of future events," from pro- pro- entry 1 + phē-, stem of phēmí, phánai "to speak, say" + -tēs, agent suffix — more at ban entry 1

Note: A few attestations in late Old English, apparently declined as a weak noun, are directly from Latin.

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prophet was in the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Prophet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prophet. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

prophet

noun
proph·​et ˈpräf-ət How to pronounce prophet (audio)
1
: one who declares publicly a message that one believes has come from God or a god
2
: one who foretells future events

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