Word family noun belief disbelief believer adjective believable ≠ unbelievable disbelieving verb believe ≠ disbelieve adverb unbelievably
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbeliefbe‧lief /bəˈliːf/ ●●● S3 W2 noun 1 [singular, uncountable]BELIEVE the feeling that something is definitely true or definitely existsbelief in a strong belief in Godbelief that her sincere belief that her brother was not the murdererin the belief that Thieves broke into the building in the mistaken belief that there was expensive computer equipment inside.2 [singular]BELIEVE the feeling that something is good and can be trustedbelief 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.3 [countable]BELIEVE 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.4 → beyond belief → it beggars belief at beggar2(1), → to the best of your belief at best3(4), → disbelief, unbeliefCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa firm/strong beliefIt is still my firm belief that we did the right thing.a strongly-held/deeply-held belief (=that you believe very much)her strongly-held belief that things were much better in the pasta common/popular/widespread belief (=that a lot of people believe)There is a common belief that educational standards are declining.a widely-held belief (=that a lot of people believe)The article expressed the widely-held belief that unemployment leads to crime.a mistaken/false beliefthe mistaken belief that cannabis is not an addictive druga sincere belief (=based on what you really feel is true)We have a sincere belief in the power of art to enhance human life.a passionate beliefhis passionate belief that technology is a tool to be used for the benefit of mankindverbshave a beliefYou must always have the belief that you can succeed.hold a beliefHe held this belief until the day he died.be based on the belief that …Our policies must be based on the belief that the planet’s resources are finite.phrasesit is my belief thatIt is my belief that most teachers are doing a good job.contrary to popular belief (=opposite to what most people think)Contrary to popular belief, boys are not usually better at maths than girls. Examples from the Corpus
belief• It is a central theme throughout the book, and she criticises frequently the Catholic beliefs and customs.• We need to learn to accept people who have different beliefs from ours.• She never lost her belief in God.• Unitarianism, a tolerant and loosely-defined system of belief, had attracted Coleridge since his Cambridge years.• Whoever the commentator is, the opinions expressed are often only beliefs based on sketchy information that is only indirectly relevant.• People with a strong spiritual or philosophical belief system are more likely to remain healthy.• They were put in prison because of their political beliefs.• Contrary to popular belief, cold weather does not make you ill.• But the crucial step is to take responsibility for that belief.• Their experiments were based on the belief that you could make gold from other metals.• This belief was obviously challenged by our presence, but he insisted that Tom and Terry had gone home.belief in• a belief in miracles• a belief in the value of hard workhold ... beliefs• All cultures hold such beliefs implicitly, and religions make them explicit.• Democracy holds out beliefs and references groups that are not compatible with great inequalities.• We constantly challenged and reviewed our own most devoutly held beliefs.• Whether or not we have firmly held beliefs about what happens after death, we can still be terribly afraid.• Groups of work-inhibited students may reinforce mutually held beliefs that school is a negative environment.• First of all, like most of us, she held beliefs based upon her parents' marriage.• Do you hold any specific beliefs about what might be called beauty?Origin belief (1100-1200) Probably from Old English geleafa “belief”, from leafa “belief, faith”; influenced by believe 