From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcultcult1 /kʌlt/ ●●○ noun 1 [countable]RR an extreme religious group that is not part of an established religion2 [countable]FASHIONABLE a fashionable belief, idea, or attitude that influences people’s livescult of Diet, exercise ... It’s all part of this cult of self-improvement.3 [singular] a group of people who are very interested in a particular thing O'Brien has a cult of devoted readers.4 [countable, uncountable] formalRR a system of religious beliefs and practices → personality cult
Examples from the Corpus
cult• He is loved to the point of becoming a cult figure.• A spokesman denied the group is a cult and said members could leave whenever they wanted.• Many would say that a cult is considerably less than a minority.• In the Hellenistic and Roman periods mystery religions and cults spread through the ancient world.• In pagan cults there were two Kinds of sacrifices.• Two members of a religious cult have been linked to the recent murders.• Dozens of religious cults have appeared in the US, most making a fortune for their leaders.• Yevtushenko was no longer the cult figure he had been when he came to Britain at the association's invitation in 1962.• Members of the cult are not allowed to marry or own property without permission.• Diet, therapy, exercise... It's all part of the cult of self-improvement.• Carmelite churches are not infrequently associated with the cult of the Black Virgin.• The cult of the dead at the tomb was a strictly religious function.cultcult2 adjective [only before noun] → cult film/band/figure etcExamples from the Corpus
cult• Frankie Knuckles is a cult figure in dance music.• Alex Garland's cult novel 'The Beach' was later made into a film starring Leonardo di Caprio.Origin cult (1600-1700) French culte, from Latin cultus “care, worship”, from colere; → CULTIVATE 