Faust

American  

[foust] / faʊst /

noun

1. Johann c1480–c1538, German magician, alchemist, and astrologer.

2. the chief character of a medieval legend, represented as selling his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power.

3. (italics) a tragedy by Goethe (Part 1, 1808; Part 2, 1832).

4. (italics) an opera (1859) by Charles Gounod.

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Faust British  

/ ˈfaʊstəs, faʊst /

noun

1. German legend a magician and alchemist who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power

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Faust Cultural  

1. A legendary sixteenth-century magician and practitioner of alchemy, who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for youth, knowledge, and power. Christopher Marlowe, a sixteenth-century English poet, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote famous plays about him.

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Discover More

A “Faustian” bargain is one in which a person is willing to make extreme sacrifices for power or knowledge without considering the ultimate cost.

Example Sentences

“I wish we got more of Andrée’s perspective,” remarks one reader, Hannah Faust.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

One of the greatest operas of our time, John Adams’ “Doctor Atomic,” contemplates the creation of nuclear weapons as the functioning of a latter-day Faust, Goethe’s most lasting creation.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

Saul Faust, professor of paediatric immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Southampton, said norovirus "placed a huge burden on healthcare systems".

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2024

“Ophelia’s Got Talent” jointly won Germany’s Faust prize for best dance production last year, cementing Holzinger’s status as one of Europe’s rising theater stars.

From New York Times • May 28, 2024

One morning, when working all the yearlings over two furlongs—a quarter of a mile—in sets of two, he paired Seabiscuit with Faust, the fastest yearling in the barn and a future major stakes winner.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand