Samson

American  

[sam-suhn] / ˈsæm sən /

noun

1. a judge of Israel famous for his great strength. Judges 13–16.

2. any man of extraordinary physical strength.

3. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “like the sun.”

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Samson British  

/ ˈsæmsən /

noun

1. a judge of Israel, who performed herculean feats of strength against the Philistine oppressors until he was betrayed to them by his mistress Delilah (Judges 13–16)

2. any man of outstanding physical strength

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Samson Cultural  

1. In the Old Testament, an Israelite servant of God who pitted his invincible strength and his wits against the Philistines on many occasions. He was eventually betrayed by his lover, the beautiful Delilah, who tricked Samson into telling her that the secret of his strength lay in his uncut hair. Delilah cut Samson's hair while he slept, and then called for the Philistines, who captured and blinded him. During his captivity, Samson's hair grew back, and he eventually pulled the Philistines' banquet hall down on their heads.

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Other Word Forms

• Samsonian adjective

Example Sentences

Like the character in his earlier spy novels, there is little glamour in the life of the jaded and cynical Samson, who has a healthy disregard for his bosses.

From BBC

The festivities included a city parade, where one Dena sailor, speaking to an independent journalist, Samson Sagar, marveled at the flavor of biryani, an Indian rice dish he had sampled.

From The Wall Street Journal

But Samson was not Player of the Match despite scoring 89.

From BBC

Even with that slow start, Abhishek and Samson took 92 runs from the best powerplay ever seen at a World Cup.

From BBC

In the third over he put down Samson on 15 – a mistake India punished by piling up the highest T20 score ever made against England.

From BBC