1
a
often capitalized
: the message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation
b
capitalized
: one of the first four New Testament books telling of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
also
: a similar apocryphal (see apocrypha sense 2) book
c
: an interpretation of the Christian message
the social gospel
2
capitalized
: a lection (see lection sense 1) from one of the New Testament Gospels
3
: the message or teachings of a religious teacher
4
: something accepted or promoted as infallible (see infallible sense 1) truth or as a guiding principle or doctrine
took her words as gospel
spreading the gospel of conservation—
R. M. Hodesh
R. M. Hodesh5
: gospel music
1
a
: having a basis in or being in accordance with the gospel (see gospel entry 1 sense 1) : evangelical
ordained to the gospel ministry—Christian Century
Christian Century
b
: marked by special or fervid emphasis on the gospel
a gospel meeting
2
: of, relating to, or being religious songs of American origin associated with evangelism and popular devotion and marked by simple melody and harmony and elements of folk songs and blues
Examples of gospel in a Sentence
Noun
a reading from the Gospel of St. John
her private gospel is to do good cheerfully and without any expectation of reward
Recent Examples on the Web
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
Winans is the founder of Perfecting Chruch, and won five Grammy awards while performing with the family gospel group, The Winans, according to the church website.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Jimmy Maher, Ars Technica, 15 Mar. 2020
Meanwhile in South Carolina, Booker's campaign has launched a new radio advertisement on eight urban contemporary and gospel radio stations across the state.
—Caitlin Conant, CBS News, 6 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for gospel
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Music fans are still mourning the death of legendary singer D’Angelo and lauding how the vastness of his musical experiences, from gospel to funk to soul, permeates his catalog.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
Winans is the founder of Perfecting Chruch, and won five Grammy awards while performing with the family gospel group, The Winans, according to the church website.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Smyth had gradually come to accept their theories too as gospel truth, and had incorporated them into his thesis.
—Jimmy Maher, Ars Technica, 15 Mar. 2020
Meanwhile in South Carolina, Booker's campaign has launched a new radio advertisement on eight urban contemporary and gospel radio stations across the state.
—Caitlin Conant, CBS News, 6 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for gospel
Cite this Entry
“Gospel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gospel. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gospel
1 of 2 noun
gos·pel
ˈgäs-pəl 
1
a
often capitalized
: the Christian message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation
b
capitalized
: one of the first four New Testament books telling of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
2
: something accepted as the truth or as a guiding principle
3
: gospel music
gospel
2 of 2 adjective1
: relating to or in accordance with the gospel : evangelical
2
: of or relating to religious songs associated with evangelism
a gospel singer
Etymology
Noun
Old English gōdspel, a translation of Greek euangelion "gospel," literally, "good tidings, good news"; gōdspel from gōd "good" and spell "talk, tale"
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