Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Jonathan

1 American  
[jon-uh-thuhn] / ˈdʒɒn ə θən /

noun

  1. a variety of red apple that matures in early autumn.


Jonathan 2 American  
[jon-uh-thuhn] / ˈdʒɒn ə θən /

noun

  1. (in the Bible) a son of Saul and friend of David.

  2. Archaic. an American, especially a New Englander.

  3. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “God gave.”


Jonathan 1 British  
/ ˈdʒɒnəθən /

noun

  1. a variety of red apple that ripens in early autumn

"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

Jonathan 2 British  

noun

  1. Old Testament the son of Saul and David's close friend, who was killed in battle (I Samuel 31; II Samuel 1:19–26)

"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

Etymology

Origin of Jonathan

First recorded in 1875–80; named after Jonathan Hasbrouck (died 1846), American jurist

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.

See Examples For:

Jonathan Wyner, head of artistic technology initiatives at Berklee College of Music’s Emerging Artistic Technology Lab, compared the AI deals to the arrival of streaming services.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 21, 2026

For comparison, it’s estimated that SpaceX has roughly 11,100 working Starlink satellites, according to data from the astronomer Jonathan McDowell.

From MarketWatch Sep. 20, 2026

Politico Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger said in an internal email, shared in the outlet's Playbook newsletter, that the company stands by its reporters and will "vigorously defend" their First Amendment rights.

From BBC Sep. 19, 2026

Marina F. Bellini, Mars president, MGS & Digital Technologies and Jonathan Lehr, Work-Bench co-founder and general partner, discuss the shifting build vs. buy dynamic in enterprise software.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 18, 2026

She always did, and she insisted that Jonathan and Abby wear theirs.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com