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Meaning & use

credo

noun·Advancedformal

Last updated

UK/ˈkriː.dəʊ/
US/ˈkriː.doʊ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A short statement of the beliefs or principles that someone or a group lives and works by.

    Grammar: Often followed by of or that: the credo of the company, a credo that puts customers first.

    Patterns

    • the credo of something
    • live by a credo

    Do no harm is the doctor's personal credo.

    The start-up's credo is that every employee should have a voice.

    He lived by the credo that hard work is its own reward.

  2. nouncountablereligionmusic

    The Creed, a Latin statement of Christian belief, or a musical setting of it in a church service.

    Grammar: Used with capital C and the in church and music contexts: the Credo of the Mass.

    Patterns

    • the Credo of the Mass

    The choir sang the Credo from Beethoven's Mass in C.

    The Credo is one of the central parts of the Mass.

Word forms

pluralcredos

Common combinations

personal credo
Treat others as you would like to be treated is her personal credo.
company credo
The company credo is posted on every office wall.
live by a credo
He tries to live by a credo of honesty.
artistic credo
The painter set out his artistic credo in a short essay.
adopt a credo
The club adopted a credo of fair play.

Synonyms and how they differ

creed
Creed is more often a formal or religious belief system, whereas credo more often means a personal motto.
motto
Motto is a short saying, and a credo is a broader set of beliefs behind actions.
philosophy
Philosophy is wider and can be a whole way of thinking, while a credo is usually stated briefly.
principle
A principle is one single rule, and a credo can bring several of these together.

Word family

creed noun
a formal statement of religious or other beliefs
credence noun
belief that something is true
credible adjective
able to be believed
credit noun
praise, or a belief that someone will pay

Commonly confused: credo or creed?

credo vs creed

Creed and credo share the same Latin source. Creed is the common English word for a belief system, and credo is borrowed and suggests a personal or professional rule.

Practice

The coach's ___ was simple: practice hard, play fair and respect your opponents.

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