belief
noun
be·lief
| \ bə-ˈlēf
\
\
Definition of belief
1
: a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing
her belief in God a belief in democracy I bought the table in the belief that it was an antique. contrary to popular belief
2
: something that is accepted, considered to be true, or held as an opinion : something believed
an individual's religious or political beliefs
especially
: a tenet or body of tenets held by a group
the beliefs of the Catholic Church
3
: conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence
belief in the validity of scientific statements
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Synonyms & Antonyms for belief
Synonyms
Antonyms
disbelief, discredit, doubt, nonbelief, unbelief
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Examples of belief in a Sentence
There is growing belief that these policies will not succeed.
He gets angry if anyone challenges his religious beliefs.
We challenged his beliefs about religion.
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Recent Examples on the Web
This is not the hospital forcing its beliefs upon others, but rather having outside views forced upon it. — Kaiser Health News, The Denver Post, "Centura Health’s firing of Colorado doctor sets off national challenge to aid-in-dying laws," 4 Sep. 2019 The Chinese leaders and people are stalwart in their belief that Hong Kong is theirs — a claim accepted by the rest of the world. — Steve Chapman, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Will China crush the Hong Kong protests?," 4 Sep. 2019 The number of medical exemptions has more than quadrupled since 2015, when the Legislature repealed parents’ right to not vaccinate their children based on their personal beliefs. — Dustin Gardiner, SFChronicle.com, "Crackdown on vaccine exemptions moves toward passage in California," 3 Sep. 2019 The role goes light on flashy dramatic explosions, but there's a genuinely affecting build in the amplification of fear, paranoia, anger and sorrow as Jean's defiant refusal to abandon her beliefs under mounting pressure is broken down. — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Seberg': Film Review | Venice 2019," 30 Aug. 2019 The couple has been very outspoken about their faith, often thanking God for their blessings and expressing how their beliefs helped them bond. — Rania Aniftos, Billboard, "Justin Bieber Shares Gospel Song Performance During Church Service: 'God Is Pulling Me Through a Hard Season'," 29 Aug. 2019 The Passengers plays on many of today’s anxieties, with its chief accusation being that our belief that data is king. — Hanna Kozlowska, Quartzy, "A new thriller novel offers up twisted scenarios of the tech revolution gone wrong," 28 Aug. 2019 Google had already withdrawn from the bidding, citing its belief that the project should be split among multiple providers. — James Bandler, ProPublica, "How Amazon and Silicon Valley Seduced the Pentagon," 22 Aug. 2019 In the interview, the mayor once again argued his belief that Oregon’s liberal free speech laws prevent him from keeping people from showing up in Portland to exercise their First Amendment rights — regardless of the costs or consequences. — oregonlive.com, "Portland mayor: Right-wing demonstrators could not articulate purpose, showed ‘ultimate cynicism’," 19 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'belief.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for belief
belief
noun
English Language Learners Definition of belief
: a feeling of being sure that someone or something exists or that something is true
: a feeling that something is good, right, or valuable
: a feeling of trust in the worth or ability of someone
See the full definition for belief in the English Language Learners Dictionary
belief
noun
be·lief
| \ bə-ˈlēf
\
\
Kids Definition of belief
1
: a feeling of being sure that a person or thing exists or is true or trustworthy
belief in ghosts belief in democracy
2
: religious faith
3
: something believed
It's my belief that our team really won.
belief
noun
be·lief
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