See Also: Belief(medicine)
belief(dictionary)
belief(dictionary)
make-belief(dictionary)

belief (oh)



[Date: 1100-1200; Origin: Probably from Old English geleafa 'belief', from leafa 'belief, faith'; influenced by believe]
[singular, U] the feeling that something is definitely true or definitely exists
belief in
:: a strong belief in God
belief that
:: his passionate belief that technology is a tool to be used with imagination
:: It is my belief that we will find a cure for cancer in the next ten years.
:: Thieves broke into the building in the mistaken belief that there was expensive computer equipment inside.
:: It is a widely held belief that violent crime is increasing.
:: a strongly held belief that stealing is wrong
::a growing belief that war was inevitable
:: Contrary to popular belief , eating carrots does not improve your eyesight.
[singular] the feeling that something is good and can be trusted
belief in
::If you're selling, you have to have genuine belief in the product.
::When you get something wrong, it can shake your belief in yourself.
[C] an idea that you believe to be true, especially one that forms part of a system of ideas
::religious beliefs
::Several members hold very right-wing beliefs .
beyond belief
used to emphasize that something is so extreme that it is difficult to believe
::What she did was stupid beyond belief.
-see also it beggars belief at beggar 2 (1), to the best of your belief at best 3 (4), disbelief , unbelief
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COLLOCATES for sense 1
a strong/firm belief
a sincere/passionate belief
it is somebody's belief that
a mistaken/false belief
a widespread/common/widely held belief (=something that many people think)
a deeply held/strongly held belief (=something you believe very much)
a growing belief
popular belief (=what most people think)
contrary to popular belief (=despite what most people think)