v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Believed p. pr. & vb. n. Believing. ] [ OE. bileven (with pref. be- for AS. ge-), fr. AS. gel&unr_;fan, gel&unr_;fan; akin to D. gelooven, OHG. gilouban, G. glauben, OS. gil&unr_;bian, Goth. galaubjan, and Goth. liubs dear. See Lief, a., Leave, n. ] To exercise belief in; to credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of, upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by circumstances other than personal knowledge; to regard or accept as true; to place confidence in; to think; to consider; as, to believe a person, a statement, or a doctrine. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our conqueror (whom I now
Of force believe almighty). Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets ? Acts xxvi. 27. [ 1913 Webster ]

Often followed by a dependent clause.
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Acts viii. 37. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- See Expect. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To have a firm persuasion, esp. of the truths of religion; to have a persuasion approaching to certainty; to exercise belief or faith. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark ix. 24. [ 1913 Webster ]

With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. Rom. x. 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To think; to suppose. [ 1913 Webster ]

I will not believe so meanly of you. Fielding. [ 1913 Webster ]

To believe in. (a) To believe that the subject of the thought (if a person or thing) exists, or (if an event) that it has occurred, or will occur; -- as, to believe in the resurrection of the dead. “She does not believe in Jupiter.” J. H. Newman. (b) To believe that the character, abilities, and purposes of a person are worthy of entire confidence; -- especially that his promises are wholly trustworthy. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” John xiv. 1. (c) To believe that the qualities or effects of an action or state are beneficial: as, to believe in sea bathing, or in abstinence from alcoholic beverages. --
To believe on, to accept implicitly as an object of religious trust or obedience; to have faith in. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who believes; one who is persuaded of the truth or reality of some doctrine, person, or thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Theol.) One who gives credit to the truth of the Scriptures, as a revelation from God; a Christian; -- in a more restricted sense, one who receives Christ as his Savior, and accepts the way of salvation unfolded in the gospel. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. Book of Com. Prayer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Eccl. Hist.) One who was admitted to all the rights of divine worship and instructed in all the mysteries of the Christian religion, in distinction from a catechumen, or one yet under instruction. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Disbelieved p. pr. & vb. n. Disbelieving. ] Not to believe; to refuse belief or credence to; to hold not to be true or actual. [ 1913 Webster ]

Assertions for which there is abundant positive evidence are often disbelieved, on account of what is called their improbability or impossibility. J. S. Mill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who disbelieves, or refuses belief; an unbeliever. Specifically, one who does not believe the Christian religion. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To pretend; -- often used with that, but often having the that omitted; as, he made believe he didn't hear her; or he made believe that he didn't hear her. [ PJC ]

a. 1. Feigned; insincere. “Make-believe reverence.” G. Eliot. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Imaginary; as, the child had a make-believe friend to whom he often talked. [ PJC ]

n. A feigning to believe, as in the play of children; a mere pretense; a fiction; an invention. “Childlike make-believe.” Tylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

To forswear self-delusion and make-believe. M. Arnold. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To believe erroneously, or in a false religion. “That misbelieving Moor.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who believes wrongly; one who holds a false religion. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not believed; disbelieved. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who does not believe; an incredulous person; a doubter; a skeptic. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A disbeliever; especially, one who does not believe that the Bible is a divine revelation, and holds that Christ was neither a divine nor a supernatural person; an infidel; a freethinker. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- See Infidel. [ 1913 Webster ]