Eli

American

[ee-lahy] / ˈi laɪ /

noun

(in the Bible) a Hebrew judge and priest.
Also Elie a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “height.”

Eli British

/ ˈiːlaɪ /

noun

Old Testament the highest priest at Shiloh and teacher of Samuel (I Samuel 1–3)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Drug companies like Eli Lilly and Roche are racing to build supercomputers to help fix the 90% failure rate in drug development.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

In 2025, Bass received $1,800 from Edythe Broad, the widow of billionaire developer Eli Broad and co-founder of the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

Eli Lilly raises full-year revenue guidance to $82 billion-$85 billion, fueled by $8.7 billion from Mounjaro and $4.1 billion from Zepbound.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

A friend who gave their name as Eli V, 42, described Rand as a "terrific guy".

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Eli is whining to the teacher that his lab partner stood him up, so he’s missing half the prep work for the experiment.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023