jesus

IPA/ˈdʒiːzəs/
KK[dʒˈizəs]IPA/ˈdʒiːzəs/

jesus — noun

1. According to Christian belief, this man is God's own son. He came to Earth to re

1.nounA1
Definition

According to Christian belief, this man is God's own son. He came to Earth to rescue people from wrongdoing, and his life story and lessons are what Christianity is built on.

Example

Every Sunday, Brooke and her family go to church to worship Jesus.

When Putri feels worried, she prays to Jesus for strength and peace.

pray to + Jesus + for + something needed

Common collocations
  • follow Jesus
  • believe in Jesus
  • pray to Jesus
  • the teachings of Jesus
  • Jesus Christ
  • Jesus of Nazareth
Synonyms
  • Christ

    a title meaning 'the anointed one', often used together with 'Jesus' as 'Jesus Christ'; more formal and theological

  • Savior

    emphasizes Jesus's role in saving humanity from sin; used in religious contexts

  • Messiah

    the promised deliverer in Jewish and Christian scripture; more formal and carries strong religious significance

Grammar Patterns

worship + Jesus

pray to + Jesus

believe in + Jesus

the teachings of + Jesus

follow + Jesus

Usage Note

Jesus is always capitalized in English as a proper noun. When used as an exclamation ('Jesus!'), it is widely considered offensive by Christians and is not appropriate in polite conversation.

Common Mistakes

Jesus is the good person who taught people to love each other.
Jesus is the central figure of Christianity, believed by Christians to be the son of God.
'Good person' downplays the religious significance that is central to the meaning.

2. A short way of referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the

2.nounB2
Definition

A short way of referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the main religious organization of Mormon believers.

Example

Hiro's family are devout members of the Jesus and attend services every week.

the + Jesus for the Mormon Church

The Jesus runs a large network of family history centers around the world.

Common collocations
  • the Jesus
  • join the Jesus
  • belong to the Jesus
  • leave the Jesus
Synonyms
  • LDS Church

    the more formal and precise name, less commonly used in casual conversation

  • Mormon Church

    a more widely recognized name, though the church itself prefers its full official title

Grammar Patterns

the + Jesus (as a name for an institution)

Usage Note

Always used with the definite article 'the' when referring to the institution. This usage is specific to North American English and may not be understood in other regions.

Common Mistakes

She belongs to Jesus.' (sounds like she follows Jesus as a religious figure).
She belongs to the Jesus.' (means she is a member of the Mormon Church).
Without 'the', the meaning shifts from the institution to the person.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Christ, Savior, and Messiah all refer to Jesus but emphasize different aspects of his role. Christ comes from the Greek 'Christos' meaning 'the anointed one' and is used as a title rather than a name; it forms part of the full name 'Jesus Christ' and carries a formal, theological tone. Savior focuses on the Christian belief that Jesus rescued humanity from sin and death through his death on the cross — it is commonly used in prayers and worship songs. Messiah comes from Hebrew 'Mashiach', meaning 'the anointed deliverer', and appears in both Jewish and Christian scripture; it carries a sense of prophecy fulfilled and is more formal than the other two. In casual conversation, most English speakers simply say 'Jesus' or 'Jesus Christ'. For example: 'Christians believe Jesus is the Savior of the world.' / 'Many Jews do not accept Jesus as the Messiah.'

Christ ↗SaviorMessiah ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Jesus prayer
  • Jesus story
  • Jesus statue
  • Jesus film

Phrases

  • Jesus Christ
  • Jesus of Nazareth

Prepositions

  • of Jesus
  • about Jesus
  • to Jesus

Etymology

HebrewAramaicGreekLatinEnglish

The name Jesus comes from the Greek 'Iēsous', which itself comes from the Hebrew/Aramaic name 'Yeshua' (ישוע), a shortened form of 'Yehoshua' (יהושע), meaning 'Yahweh is salvation' or 'the Lord saves'. The name passed into Latin as 'Iesus' and then into English as 'Jesus'. The spelling with a capital J emerged in Middle English around the 16th century as the letter J became distinguished from I.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1