prophet

American  

[prof-it] / ˈprɒf ɪt /

noun

1. a person who speaks for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration.

2. (in the Old Testament)

   1. a person chosen to speak for God and to guide the people of Israel.

      Moses was the greatest of Old Testament prophets.

   2. (often initial capital letter)  one of the Major or Minor Prophets.

   3. one of a band of ecstatic visionaries claiming divine inspiration and, according to popular belief, possessing magical powers.

   4. a person who practices divination.

3. one of a class of persons in the early church, next in order after the apostles, recognized as inspired to utter special revelations and predictions. 1 Corinthians 12:28.

4. the Prophet, Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

5. a person regarded as, or claiming to be, an inspired teacher or leader.

6. a person who foretells or predicts what is to come.

   a weather prophet; prophets of doom.

7. a spokesperson of some doctrine, cause, or movement.

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prophet ¹ British  

/ ˈprɒfɪt /

noun

1. a person who supposedly speaks by divine inspiration, esp one through whom a divinity expresses his will

2. a person who predicts the future

   a prophet of doom

3. a spokesman for a movement, doctrine, etc

4. Christian Science

   1. a seer in spiritual matters

   2. the vanishing of material sense to give way to the conscious facts of spiritual truth

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Prophet ² British  

/ ˈprɒfɪt /

noun

1. the principal designation of Mohammed as the founder of Islam

2. a name for Joseph Smith as founder of the Mormon Church

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prophet Cultural  

1. Someone who brings a message from God to people. The best-known prophets are those of the Old Testament. Their most frequent themes were true worship of God, upright living, and the coming of the Messiah. They often met with bitter resistance when they spoke against the idol worship and immorality of their people. Among the prophets of the Old Testament were Daniel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, and Moses. Prophets also appear in the New Testament. Jesus called John the Baptist a prophet; Christians (see also Christian) consider him a bridge between the prophets of the Old Testament and those of the New Testament. Jesus mentions “true prophets” and “false prophets” — those who present the true message of God and those who present a counterfeit (see By their fruits ye shall know them and wolves in sheep's clothing). He himself was considered a prophet in his lifetime (see A prophet is not without honor save in his own country) and is still widely revered by non-Christians as a prophet, though not as the Messiah. The New Testament also mentions that some of the early Christians were prophets who spoke inspired messages to their communities.

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Discover More

In general usage, a “prophet” is someone who can foretell the future. The prophets of the Bible (see also Bible) often made predictions, which confirmed their authority when the predictions came true, but changing the lives of their people was a more central part of their mission.

Other Word Forms

• prophet-like adjective
• prophetess noun
• prophethood noun
• prophetless adjective
• prophetlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of prophet

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English prophete, from Late Latin prophēta, from Greek prophḗtēs, equivalent to pro- “before (in time, place, precedence, dignity)” + -phētēs “speaker,” derivative of phánai “to speak”; pro- ²

Example Sentences

Bloggers passed on their latest favorites like a prophet in the town square, coming in from the online wilderness of music piracy’s heyday with new tracks that could change your life.

From Salon

"This station recalls the divine woman who awakened the world through her purity and by nurturing a great prophet," said Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani on X.

From Barron's

It is based on the teachings of Bahaullah, who was born in Iran in 1817 and is considered the prophet and founder of their monotheistic faith.

From Barron's

What Peck found wasn’t a prophet or a symbol but a man full of contradictions: a writer wrestling with class, illness and empire, trying to fuse politics and art before his own time ran out.

From Los Angeles Times

Many also believe that this is the place where, according to the Bible and the Quran, God spoke to the prophet from the burning bush.

From BBC

Related Words

• prognosticator
• seer
• witch