belief

Word family

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++be·lief /bəˈliːf/ S3 W2 noun 1 [singular, uncountable]BELIEVE the feeling that something is definitely true or definitely exists 信心；信念belief in a strong belief in God 笃信上帝belief that her sincere belief that her brother was not the murderer 她真心相信哥哥不是凶手in the belief that Thieves broke into the building in the mistaken belief that there was expensive computer equipment inside. 窃贼们闯入大楼，误以为里面有昂贵的电脑设备。2 [singular]BELIEVE the feeling that something is good and can be trusted 信任，信赖belief in If you’re selling, you have to have genuine belief in the product. 如果你在销售某个产品，就必须对所售产品真正有信心。 When you get something wrong, it can shake your belief in yourself. 如果有什么事情没做好，就会动摇你对自己的信心。3 [countable]BELIEVE an idea that you believe to be true, especially one that forms part of a system of ideas 信仰；信条；观点 religious beliefs 宗教信仰 Several members hold very right-wing beliefs. 有几个成员持有很“右”的观点。4 beyond belief BELIEVEused to emphasize that something is so extreme that it is difficult to believe 令人难以置信 What she did was stupid beyond belief. 她所做的事情傻得叫人难以相信。 → it beggars belief at beggar2(1), → to the best of your belief at best3(4), → disbelief , unbelief COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa firm/strong belief 坚定的信念It is still my firm belief that we did the right thing. 我仍然坚信我们做的事是正确的。a strongly-held/deeply-held belief (=that you believe very much) 深信不疑的观点her strongly-held belief that things were much better in the past 她坚信过去比现在好很多a common/popular/widespread belief (=that a lot of people believe) 普遍持有的观点There is a common belief that educational standards are declining. 普遍的观点是教育水准在下降。na widely-held belief (=that a lot of people believe)The article expressed the widely-held belief that unemployment leads to crime.a mistaken/false belief 错误的想法the mistaken belief that cannabis is not an addictive drug 认为大麻不会致瘾的错误想法a sincere belief (=based on what you really feel is true) 笃定的信念nWe have a sincere belief in the power of art to enhance human life.a passionate belief 狂热的信念nhis passionate belief that technology is a tool to be used for the benefit of mankindverbshave a belief 怀有某个信念You must always have the belief that you can succeed. 你必须始终相信自己能够成功。hold a belief 持有某个信念He held this belief until the day he died. 他至死都坚守着这个信念。nbe based on the belief that …Our policies must be based on the belief that the planet’s resources are finite.phrasesit is my belief that 我认为It is my belief that most teachers are doing a good job. 我认为大部分教师都干得不错。contrary to popular belief (=opposite to what most people think) 与普遍的想法相反Contrary to popular belief, boys are not usually better at maths than girls. 与普遍看法相反的是，男孩子在数学方面并非通常都优于女孩子。

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

be·lief noun →COLLOCATIONS1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable

Corpus the definitely something feeling true definitely is that or

belief
be‧lief S3 W2 /bəˈliːf, bɪˈliːf/

noun

Word Family: noun: belief, disbelief, believer; adjective: believable ≠ unbelievable, disbelieving; verb: believe ≠ disbelieve; adverb: unbelievably

Date: 1100-1200
Origin: Probably from Old English geleafa 'belief', from leafa 'belief, faith'; influenced by believe

1. [singular, uncountable] the feeling that something is definitely true or definitely exists
belief in

a strong belief in God
belief that

her sincere belief that her brother was not the murderer
in the belief that

Thieves broke into the building in the mistaken belief that there was expensive computer equipment inside.
2. [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.
3. [countable] 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 used to emphasize that something is so extreme that it is difficult to believe:

What she did was stupid beyond belief.
⇨ it beggars belief at beggar²(1), ⇨ to the best of your belief at best³(4), ⇨ disbelief, unbelief

COLLOCATIONS

■ adjectives
   ▪ a firm/strong belief It 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 past
   ▪ a 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 belief the mistaken belief that cannabis is not an addictive drug
   ▪ a 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 belief his passionate belief that technology is a tool to be used for the benefit of mankind
■ verbs
   ▪ have a belief You must always have the belief that you can succeed.
   ▪ hold a belief He 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.
■ phrases
   ▪ it is my belief that It 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.

THESAURUS

   ▪ religion [uncountable and countable] a set of beliefs about a god, and the ceremonies and customs that go with these beliefs. Also used when talking about all religions in general: Judaism is one of the great religions of the world. | African tribal religions | a lecture on the role of religion in society
   ▪ faith [uncountable and countable] a religion, especially one of the large important world religions. Also used when talking about religious belief in general: The school welcomes children of all faiths. | His religious faith was always deeply important to him.
   ▪ belief [uncountable and countable] the act of believing in a god or gods, or the ideas that someone believes because of their religion: We all have the right to freedom of belief. | They were persecuted because of their religious beliefs.
   ▪ denomination [countable] a religious group that has slightly different beliefs from other groups who belong to the same religion: The church is the largest Christian denomination in the United States.
   ▪ sect [countable] a group of people who have their own set of religious beliefs and customs, especially a group that has separated from a larger group: He became a member of a Buddhist sect. | There are two sects in Islam - the Sunni and the Shi'a. | an obscure religious sect
   ▪ the church [singular, uncountable] the Christian religion in general: How great is the influence of the church in present-day society? | The church has a lot to say about this.
   ▪ the Catholic/Protestant etc church (also Church) [countable] one of the separate groups within the Christian religion: the Methodist Church
   ▪ cult [countable] an extreme religious group that is not part of an established religion – often used to show disapproval: The suicides have been linked to a strange religious cult. | the traditional pagan cults of Ancient Rome
   ▪ creed [uncountable and countable] formal the religion that you belong to, and the set of beliefs that you accept in order to belong to it – often used in phrases when saying that your religion should not affect how you are treated: There must be no discrimination because of race, colour, or creed. | You will be rewarded whatever your race or creed.
   ▪ faith community [countable] formal a group of people who share the same religious beliefs – used especially in official contexts: the benefits of living within a supportive faith community

🔑 be·lief

BrE

/bɪˈliːf/

🔊

NAmE

/bɪˈliːf/

🔊

noun

🔑

[uncountable]

~ (in sth/sb)