gospel

1 of 2

noun

gos·​pel ˈgä-spəl How to pronounce gospel (audio)
1
a
often capitalized : the message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation
b
capitalized : one of the first four New Testament books telling of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
also : a similar apocryphal (see apocrypha sense 2) book
c
: an interpretation of the Christian message
the social gospel
2
capitalized : a lection (see lection sense 1) from one of the New Testament Gospels
3
: the message or teachings of a religious teacher
4
: something accepted or promoted as infallible (see infallible sense 1) truth or as a guiding principle or doctrine
took her words as gospel
spreading the gospel of conservationR. M. Hodesh
5
: gospel music
gospelly adjective

gospel

2 of 2

adjective

1
a
: having a basis in or being in accordance with the gospel (see gospel entry 1 sense 1) : evangelical
ordained to the gospel ministryChristian Century
b
: marked by special or fervid emphasis on the gospel
a gospel meeting
2
: of, relating to, or being religious songs of American origin associated with evangelism and popular devotion and marked by simple melody and harmony and elements of folk songs and blues

Examples of gospel in a Sentence

Noun a reading from the Gospel of St. John her private gospel is to do good cheerfully and without any expectation of reward
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Mousetrap has been bringing crowds to the Black Cat since 2000, and here’s to another night of guitar-heavy indie music on 14th Street, spreading the gospel to a new generation. Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 For years, Henrik Fisker has preached the gospel of selling EVs that people can afford. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2024 Husband and wife duo Benito and Shirley Leatherwood will sing gospel music. Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2024 But these guidelines should not be taken as gospel, experts said. Melinda Wenner Moyer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Feb. 2024 In 2022, gospel duo Mary Mary performed the song and in 2023, Sheryl Lee Ralph did. Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024 The transition from house of wonder to house of worship makes practical sense— cinemas have plenty of seats pointing in the same direction, and they’re equipped with speaker systems, which come in handy for priests to spread the gospel. Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 Jesus represents the human face of God — and how much God loves us, says Missouri priest This week's Bible verse is from the Gospel of John, one of the four gospels in the New Testament. Fox News, 14 Feb. 2024 The beginnings of gospel can be traced to the specific cadence and tones of Black preaching. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Smyth had gradually come to accept their theories too as gospel truth, and had incorporated them into his thesis. Jimmy Maher, Ars Technica, 15 Mar. 2020 Meanwhile in South Carolina, Booker's campaign has launched a new radio advertisement on eight urban contemporary and gospel radio stations across the state. Caitlin Conant, CBS News, 6 Dec. 2019 Large chunks of the film are made up of Cambridge Analytica sales decks, which the directors appear to take as gospel truth about how sophisticated and successful the company was. L.m., The Economist, 24 July 2019 Market prices, of course, are no more gospel truth than are the extrapolations of economists. James MacKintosh, WSJ, 30 July 2018 Gospel stage production about family's struggle with alcoholism and their journey back to God through faith, hope and love. Rasputin Todd, Cincinnati.com, 5 July 2017 Gospel singer Bebe Winans sings beautiful hymns; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker joins her on stage. Capricia Marshall, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 Dec. 2016

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gospel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English, from Old English gōdspel (translation of Late Latin evangelium), from gōd good + spell tale — more at spell entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of gospel was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near gospel

Cite this Entry

“Gospel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gospel. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gospel

1 of 2 noun
gos·​pel ˈgäs-pəl How to pronounce gospel (audio)
1
a
often capitalized : the Christian message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation
b
capitalized : one of the first four New Testament books telling of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
2
: something accepted as the truth or as a guiding principle
3
: gospel music

gospel

2 of 2 adjective
1
: relating to or in accordance with the gospel : evangelical
2
: of or relating to religious songs associated with evangelism
a gospel singer
Etymology

Noun

Old English gōdspel, a translation of Greek euangelion "gospel," literally, "good tidings, good news"; gōdspel from gōd "good" and spell "talk, tale"

More from Merriam-Webster on gospel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!