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

During the aughts, Alexa Chung’s It book was practically the bible for millennials trying to channel their inner style icon. —Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 13 Dec. 2024

These posts range from theological breakdowns to translating scriptures in colloquial GenZ language, visualizing Bible stories through AI technologies, and customizing bible covers. —Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

Want to know how to dress like a world class fashion insider with combinations of street, ethnic, designer, and classic influences, this is the bible. —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 4 Dec. 2024

Trump dishonored his nomination for president by using it to hawk for his own profit sneakers, bibles, watches, and crypto currency. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

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