Scripture
Americannoun
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Also called Holy Scripture. Also called Holy Scriptures. Often Scriptures. the sacred writings of the Old or New Testaments or both together.
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(often lowercase) any writing or book, especially when of a sacred or religious nature.
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(sometimes lowercase) a particular passage from the Bible; text.
noun
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Also called: Holy Scripture. Holy Writ. the Scriptures. Christianity the Old and New Testaments
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any book or body of writings, esp when regarded as sacred by a particular religious group
noun
Other Word Forms
- anti-Scripture adjective
- pro-Scripture adjective
- subscripture noun
Etymology
Origin of Scripture
1250–1300; Middle English < Latin scrīptūra writing. See script, -ure
Explanation
Scripture is a sacred religious text. It usually refers to the Christian Bible, but it can refer to other religions' texts as well. The noun scripture is most often used for specifically Christian writing, and it's often capitalized. However, it can refer to any religion's sacred writing: "Hindu scripture is written on the walls of the temple." In the 1300s, scripture sometimes meant simply "writing," though it more often referred to sacred words, especially in the Christian Bible. Its root word is the Latin script, or "writing."
Vocabulary lists containing scripture
The Write Stuff: Scrib, Script
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"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
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Inherit the Wind
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Almost all the words came from Scripture and 18th-century poetry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026
Scripture and natal charts existed in tandem, along with palm-reading diagrams, recipes for potions and instructions for alchemical reactions.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025
Scripture does not record the birth date of Jesus Christ, and so early Christian scholars spent centuries wrangling over when to celebrate this most important apotheosis.
From Salon • Dec. 24, 2024
“They’ve had an inability to acknowledge the legitimate diversity of opinion among committed Christians who have studied Scripture, who are believers, and aren’t trying to go along with what is culturally easy.”
From Seattle Times • May 26, 2024
The holy Scripture says, “A little child shall lead them.”
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
