prophet

[ prof-it ]
See synonyms for prophet on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who speaks for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration.

  2. (in the Old Testament)

    • a person chosen to speak for God and to guide the people of Israel: Moses was the greatest of Old Testament prophets.

    • (often initial capital letter) one of the Major or Minor Prophets.

    • one of a band of ecstatic visionaries claiming divine inspiration and, according to popular belief, possessing magical powers.

    • a person who practices divination.

  1. one of a class of persons in the early church, next in order after the apostles, recognized as inspired to utter special revelations and predictions. 1 Corinthians 12:28.

  2. the Prophet, Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

  3. a person regarded as, or claiming to be, an inspired teacher or leader.

  4. a person who foretells or predicts what is to come: a weather prophet; prophets of doom.

  5. a spokesperson of some doctrine, cause, or movement.

Origin of prophet

1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English prophete, from Late Latin prophēta, from Greek prophḗtēs, equivalent to pro- “before (in time, place, precedence, dignity)” + -phētēs “speaker,” derivative of phánai “to speak”; see also pro-2

Other words from prophet

  • proph·et·hood, noun
  • proph·et·less, adjective
  • proph·et·like, adjective

Words that may be confused with prophet

Words Nearby prophet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use prophet in a sentence

  • A glorious vision, in which the prophet's lips are cleansed: he foretelleth the obstinacy of the Jews.

  • The standard of the prophet was raised in the bazaar and a fanatical mob rallied round it.

    The Red Year | Louis Tracy
  • Then Isaias the prophet came to king Ezechias, and said to him: What said these men, and from whence came they to thee?

  • Form not in my mind such a picture as that of the mighty prophet in his robes being "it."

  • This is spoken by the prophet in the person of the Jews at the time when, for their sins, they were given up to their enemies.

British Dictionary definitions for prophet (1 of 2)

prophet

/ (ˈprɒfɪt) /


noun
  1. a person who supposedly speaks by divine inspiration, esp one through whom a divinity expresses his will: Related adjective: vatic

  2. a person who predicts the future: a prophet of doom

  1. a spokesman for a movement, doctrine, etc

  2. Christian Science

    • a seer in spiritual matters

    • the vanishing of material sense to give way to the conscious facts of spiritual truth

Origin of prophet

1
C13: from Old French prophète, from Latin prophēta, from Greek prophētēs one who declares the divine will, from pro- ² + phanai to speak

Derived forms of prophet

  • prophetess, fem n
  • prophet-like, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Prophet (2 of 2)

Prophet

/ (ˈprɒfɪt) /


nounthe Prophet
  1. the principal designation of Mohammed as the founder of Islam

  2. a name for Joseph Smith as founder of the Mormon Church

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for prophet

prophet

Someone who brings a message from God to people. The best-known prophets are those of the Old Testament. Their most frequent themes were true worship of God, upright living, and the coming of the Messiah. They often met with bitter resistance when they spoke against the idol worship and immorality of their people. Among the prophets of the Old Testament were Daniel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, and Moses.

Prophets also appear in the New Testament. Jesus called John the Baptist a prophet; Christians (see also Christian) consider him a bridge between the prophets of the Old Testament and those of the New Testament. Jesus mentions “true prophets” and “false prophets” — those who present the true message of God and those who present a counterfeit (see By their fruits ye shall know them and wolves in sheep's clothing). He himself was considered a prophet in his lifetime (see A prophet is not without honor save in his own country) and is still widely revered by non-Christians as a prophet, though not as the Messiah. The New Testament also mentions that some of the early Christians were prophets who spoke inspired messages to their communities.

Notes for prophet

In general usage, a “prophet” is someone who can foretell the future. The prophets of the Bible (see also Bible) often made predictions, which confirmed their authority when the predictions came true, but changing the lives of their people was a more central part of their mission.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.