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Definition of cult noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

cult

noun
 
 
/kʌlt/
 
/kʌlt/
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  1.  
    [usually singular] cult (of something) a way of life, an attitude, an idea, etc. that has become very popular
    • the cult of physical fitness
    • the cult of youth
    see also personality cult
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • personality
    cult + noun
    • figure
    • hero
    • icon
    • …
    preposition
    • cult of
    See full entry
  2.  
    a small group of people who have extreme religious beliefs and who are not part of any established religion
    • Their son ran away from home and joined a cult.
    • the members of a religious cult
    Topics Religion and festivalsc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • religious
    • pagan
    • satanic
    • …
    cult + noun
    • leader
    • member
    • image
    • …
    See full entry
  3.  
    (formal) a system of religious beliefs and practices
    • the ancient cult of ancestor worship
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • religious
    • pagan
    • satanic
    • …
    cult + noun
    • leader
    • member
    • image
    • …
    See full entry
    4. Word Originearly 17th cent. (originally denoting homage paid to a divinity): from French culte or Latin cultus ‘worship’, from cult- ‘inhabited, cultivated, worshipped’, from the verb colere.
See cult in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee cult in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: cult

Nearby words

hide-and-seek
noun
 
 
From the Topic
Games and toys
C2
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