Jonah

American  

[joh-nuh] / ˈdʒoʊ nə /

noun

1. a Minor Prophet who, for his impiety, was thrown overboard from his ship and swallowed by a large fish, remaining in its belly for three days before being cast up onto the shore unharmed.

2. a book of the Bible bearing his name.

3. any person or thing regarded as bringing bad luck.

4. Also Jonas a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “dove.”

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Jonah British  

/ ˈdʒəʊnə, ˈdʒəʊnəs /

noun

1. Old Testament

   1. a Hebrew prophet who, having been thrown overboard from a ship in which he was fleeing from God, was swallowed by a great fish and vomited onto dry land

   2. the book in which his adventures are recounted

2. a person believed to bring bad luck to those around him; a jinx

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Other Word Forms

• Jonahesque adjective

Example Sentences

“The baton has been passed from print to the traditional web, and now from the traditional web to social,” BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti said at the time.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

Ondro likens his guilt-racked migrations to the story of Jonah, who tried futilely to run from God’s message to him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

"When the tide comes in, we're going to have to move really quickly to bring these whales together, then move them out to deeper waters," said Louisa Hawkes from Project Jonah.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

In 2023, at just 20 years old, Miller won the Player of the Year award for New Zealand's top rugby player - the youngest winner since Jonah Lomu.

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2025

“We’re gonna have to let go once the race starts,” Jonah tells me, holding up our hands.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

• unlucky
• woeful