Belief

hold a belief

My boss holds strong political beliefs and expresses them on every possible occasion!

share a belief

Although I don’t share your beliefs, I do respect them. I think this is important in a democratic society.

stand up for a belief

We should all have the courage to stand up for our beliefs.

shake a belief

He was only fined £100 for killing somebody in a road accident! This case has shaken my belief in our justice system.

strengthen a belief

My mother’s long battle against stomach cancer has only strengthened her belief in God.

cling to a belief

A week after her husband disappeared in a boating accident, she’s still clinging to the belief that he’s alive. She refuses to accept that he might have drowned.

mistaken belief

For years at school, I was under the mistaken belief that Anne was Chris’s mother. It was only years later I found out she was his step-sister!

popular belief

Contrary to popular belief, eating carrots does not improve your eyesight.

unshakeable belief

My brother has an unshakeable belief in his own abilities. I’ve never known anybody with such self-belief and self-confidence.

firm belief

It is my firm belief that abortion is immoral. Nobody will ever convince me that we have the right to end life in that way.

growing belief

Fighting has again broken out along the border. There is now a growing belief among politicians that war is inevitable.

genuine belief

If you want to be a successful salesman, you have to have a genuine belief in the product you are selling. It’s no good just pretending to like something.

remain faithful on a belief

Throughout her persecution, Joan of Arc remained faithful to her beliefs, She refused to give them up.

shake the foundation of a belief

The fact that millions of people are dying of famine has shaken the foundations of my belief in God.

religious belief

Sarah’s parents hadn’t realized the depth of her religious beliefs until she told them she had decided to become a nun.

the sincerity of a belief

I’ve never really trusted that woman. I’ve always had doubts about the sincerity of her beliefs.

based on a belief

Capitalism is partly based on the belief that people work more productively if they are working for themselves.

set of belief

Every religion has its own set of beliefs.

Notes   

Note the following expressions:

• She may have made the situation worse, but she acted in the belief that she was doing the right thing.
• That’s impossible to believe! It’s beyond belief!
• It’s my belief that a vaccine for AIDS will be found.

If you really find something impossible to explain or understand you can say that it ‘beggars belief’:

• It beggars belief how one man could have destroyed a bank.

Note that we talk of having political and religious beliefs.