Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
in the biblical sense

in the biblical sense

8.6
To say that two people have had sex in a polite or joking way
  • idiom
  • NSFW
translation icon : en el sentido bíblico
  • He humorously claimed they knew each other in the biblical sense after only a week of dating.

Examples

  • Are you two living together in the biblical sense?

  • She insisted their friendship was not in the biblical sense, just purely platonic.

  • It was clear they were close, but not in the biblical sense.

  • They have been together, in the biblical sense.

  • He humorously claimed they knew each other in the biblical sense after only a week of dating.

  • She insisted their relationship was not in the biblical sense, emphasizing their platonic nature.

  • Are you two living together in the biblical sense or just as roommates?

Synonyms

to have sex
vsin the biblical sense
  • NSFW
∞ 3.0

To touch each other's private parts for physical pleasure

is a euphemistic expression used instead of this blunt phrase
to know
vsin the biblical sense
  • NSFW
675 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a modern euphemism used in ordinary speech instead
to have intercourse
vsin the biblical sense
  • NSFW
23 8.1

To have sex with someone

is a euphemistic, indirect way to refer to this activity
to be intimate
vsin the biblical sense
  • NSFW
16 7.9

Have sex with someone

is used specifically to say two people have had sex
to couple
vsin the biblical sense
  • NSFW
5 8.1

To have sex with another person or animal

is a euphemistic phrase focused on two people, not general mating
to sex
vsin the biblical sense
  • NSFW
5 5.1

To have physical contact with someone for pleasure, usually in a casual way

is a euphemistic phrase used in polite rather than casual speech
to jazz
vsin the biblical sense
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a euphemistic phrase used in more polite contexts instead
to effing
vsin the biblical sense
  • Offensive
9.9

To have sex with someone

is a euphemistic expression that avoids coarse explicit wording

Surface Forms

in the biblical sense positive
in-the-biblical-sense positive

Morphology

in + the + biblical + sense

The literal meanings of the constituents ('biblical' = relating to the Bible; 'sense' = meaning) yield 'according to the Bible,' which does not by itself signal sexual intercourse. The euphemistic reading ('had sex') depends on cultural/allusive knowledge and pragmatic inference, so a B1 learner who only knows the word meanings would not reliably derive this sense.

Etymology

In the biblical sense comes from the Bible, where the verb 'to know' was often used to mean having sex, not just to know someone. So saying in the biblical sense is a polite or joking way to suggest that two people had sex.