Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Miriam

American  
[mir-ee-uhm] / ˈmɪr i əm /

noun

  1. (in the Bible) the sister of Moses and Aaron.

  2. a female given name, form of Mary.


Miriam British  
/ ˈmɪrɪəm /

noun

  1. Douay name: MaryOld Testament the sister of Moses and Aaron. (Numbers 12:1–15)

"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 Miriam

From Late Latin Mariam, from Greek Mariám, from Hebrew Miryām, of uncertain origin; see also Mary ( def. )

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:

Scenic painter Miriam Hellmann was the skillful hand behind the mural’s final product: an image of a giant, bright orange poppy, a butterfly and a peacock, along with floral and faunal symbols.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 31, 2026

Muldoon is survived by his partner, Miriam Rothbart; parents Deanna and Patrick Muldoon Sr, his sister and brother-in-law Shana and Ahmet Zappa, niece Halo and nephew Arrow Zappa.

From BBC Apr. 20, 2026

The research, led by Dr. Miriam Lisci, a postdoctoral scientist in Prof. Jourdain's lab, focused on carbon-rich molecules, especially pyruvate.

From Science Daily Apr. 20, 2026

Starring Herbert Marshall, Miriam Hopkins and Kay Francis, the director’s 1932 film is the first great romantic comedy of the sound era.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 11, 2026

It would be weeks and weeks before she’d know that Miriam had died.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training