belief
part of speech
noun (a belief, beliefs; belief, uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) A belief is something you think is true, even if you cannot prove it («a belief that ghosts exist»). tree →
2) Belief is the feeling of being sure that something is true or real. tree →
3) Belief in someone is trust and confidence in them («Her belief in me helped me win»). tree →
4) A belief is also a religious or moral idea a person holds («religious beliefs»). tree →
sense in the lessons
In RE and PSHE pupils learn that people have different beliefs, and we respect others' beliefs even when we disagree. In science pupils learn to tell beliefs from facts that can be tested with evidence. In stories, belief in oneself helps heroes succeed. Phrases: «belief in», «beyond belief» (amazing or shocking), «religious beliefs», «self-belief».
examples
- People hold many different beliefs. tree →
- It is a common belief that goldfish have a three-second memory, but it is wrong. tree →
- Her belief in herself helped her finish the race. tree →
- We should respect other people's beliefs. tree →
- The view from the mountain was beautiful beyond belief. tree →
- Long ago, there was a belief that the Earth was flat. tree →
- Scientists test a belief with experiments. tree →
- He has a strong belief in being fair. tree →
note
Plural «beliefs» (not «believes»). Spelling trap: noun «belief» (f), verb «believe» (v). «Belief in» someone or something. «i before e except after c» works here: bel-i-e-f.
In the corpora
- But a bot repeats popular beliefs as easily as facts.
- People have the right to their own beliefs, so do not mock or argue about someone's religion.
- People are vegetarian or vegan for health, belief or love of animals, so never try to make them eat meat.
- You do not have to share a belief to show respect for it.
- You do not have to share a belief to be respectful about it.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «belief» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.