- [uncountable] a strong feeling that something/somebody exists or is true; confidence that something/somebody is good or right
- belief in something/somebody I admire his passionate belief in what he is doing.
- belief in God/democracy
- The incident has shaken my belief (= made me have less confidence) in the police.
- belief that… They share a belief that there is life after death.
Extra ExamplesTopics Religion and festivalsb1- I think the rights and wrongs of eating meat are a matter of personal belief.
- She has lost her belief in God.
- They had a shared belief in the power of education.
- We remain united in our belief in democracy.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- absolute
- deep-seated
- deeply held
- …
- set
- system
- espouse
- have
- hold
- …
- persist
- system
- beyond belief
- in the belief that
- belief about
- …
- contrary to popular belief
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- [singular, uncountable] an opinion about something; something that you think is true
- belief that… There is a general belief that things will soon get better.
- There is a widespread belief that multinationals have too much power.
- a widely/commonly held belief
- in the belief that… She acted in the belief that she was doing good.
- I took the job in the mistaken belief that I would be able to stay in London.
- Contrary to popular belief (= in spite of what people may think), he was not responsible for the tragedy.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumentb1- It's my belief that she's telling the truth.
- He shared his father's belief that people should work hard for their living.
- She did it in the belief that it would help her career.
- She was strict with her children in the genuine belief that it was the right thing to do.
- They were clinging to the belief that Sam would soon be released.
- The exam results encouraged the belief that he was a good teacher.
- There is a belief among young people that education is a waste of time.
- This latest evidence strengthens our belief that the government is doing the right thing.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- absolute
- deep-seated
- deeply held
- …
- set
- system
- espouse
- have
- hold
- …
- persist
- system
- beyond belief
- in the belief that
- belief about
- …
- contrary to popular belief
- [countable, usually plural] something that you believe, especially as part of your religion
- religious/political beliefs
- A society should be judged on its beliefs and values.
- belief about something Some people hold beliefs about the world that are not supported by science.
Extra Examples- Each religion has its set of beliefs.
- He tried to impose his beliefs on other people.
- I have very firm beliefs about moral issues.
- The Labour Party must stick to its beliefs.
- We still follow our traditional beliefs.
- They were persecuted for their religious beliefs.
- You must respect other people's beliefs.
- an attempt to reconcile apparently opposite beliefs
- beliefs about the origin of the universe
- the basic beliefs of Christianity
- People who did not subscribe to the dominant beliefs of society were widely persecuted.
- The beliefs of a minority have come to dominate the political agenda.
- Those holding Socialist beliefs were expelled from the organization.
- You need to examine your own attitudes and beliefs.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- absolute
- deep-seated
- deeply held
- …
- set
- system
- espouse
- have
- hold
- …
- persist
- system
- beyond belief
- in the belief that
- belief about
- …
- contrary to popular belief
compare disbelief, unbelief
Word OriginMiddle English: alteration of Old English gelēafa; compare with believe.
Idioms
See belief in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee belief in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbeggar belief/description
- to be too extreme, horrible, etc. to believe/describe
- It beggars belief how things could have got this bad.
beyond belief
- (in a way that is) too great, difficult, etc. to be believed
- Dissatisfaction with the government has grown beyond belief.
- icy air that was cold beyond belief
- It is beyond belief that anyone could commit such a crime.
to the best of your knowledge/belief
- as far as you know
- He never made a will, to the best of my knowledge.
Check pronunciation:
belief