prophet

noun

proph·​et ˈprä-fət How to pronounce prophet (audio)
1
: one who utters divinely inspired revelations: such as
a
often capitalized : the writer of one of the prophetic books of the Bible
b
capitalized : one regarded by a group of followers as the final authoritative revealer of God's will
Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah
2
: one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight
especially : an inspired poet
3
: one who foretells future events : predictor
4
: an effective or leading spokesman for a cause, doctrine, or group
5
Christian Science
a
: a spiritual seer
b
: disappearance of material sense before the conscious facts of spiritual Truth
prophethood noun

Examples of prophet in a Sentence

the words of the prophet an economist who is regarded by many as a reliable prophet of future developments in the global economy
Recent Examples on the Web And, as a result, Keys’s performance became a lightning rod for casual music critics and prophets of technological dystopia alike. Marc Hogan, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2024 Sikhs use it to refer to God and the ten prophet leaders, or gurus. Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2024 And so this is why, when Donald Trump refuses to concede the 2020 election, all these prophets say, ‘Well, there’s going to need to be a miracle. Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2024 The director also uses his false prophet’s skepticism to shape this Biblical epic into a more funky genre offering. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2024 In what may have been a disappointment to the doomsday prophets, Kohoutek never got any closer to the sun than 0.142 astronomical units, or 13.2 million miles, on December 28, 1973. Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Dec. 2023 Having perceived the onslaught of the Great Reset, poet and prophet Godard foresaw the threat of globalism and the way that the millennium’s Democratic Socialists have broken down all social and moral norms through lawfare and weaponized media. Armond White, National Review, 29 Sep. 2023 In the Old Testament, prophets seem to be on speed dial to Zion. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 20 Jan. 2024 Famous in his own country — and in his own lifetime — Nostradamus would come to be one of the most popular non-Biblical prophets in the history of the world. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prophet.' 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

Middle English prophete, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin prophēta "spokesman or interpreter of a god" (Late Latin also prophētēs "revealer of God's will, foreteller of future events"), borrowed from Greek prophḗtēs "one who interprets the will of a god to humans, interpreter," (Septuagint) "revealer of God's will," (New Testament) "inspired preacher and teacher, foreteller of future events," from pro- pro- entry 1 + phē-, stem of phēmí, phánai "to speak, say" + -tēs, agent suffix — more at ban entry 1

Note: A few attestations in late Old English, apparently declined as a weak noun, are directly from Latin.

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prophet was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near prophet

Cite this Entry

“Prophet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prophet. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prophet

noun
proph·​et ˈpräf-ət How to pronounce prophet (audio)
1
: one who declares publicly a message that one believes has come from God or a god
2
: one who foretells future events

More from Merriam-Webster on prophet

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!