Abraham
Americannoun
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the first of the great Biblical patriarchs, father of Isaac, and traditional founder of the ancient Hebrew nation: considered by Muslims an ancestor of the Arab peoples through his son Ishmael.
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a first name: from a Hebrew word meaning “father of many.”
noun
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Old Testament the first of the patriarchs, the father of Isaac and the founder of the Hebrew people (Genesis 11–25)
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the place where the just repose after death (Luke 16:22)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Abraham
First recorded before 1000; from Late Latin, from Greek Abraám, from Hebrew ʾabhrāhām, traditionally translated as “father of many nations, father of multitudes,” equivalent to ʾabh “father” + hamon “multitude,” or a variant of ʾabhram “high father, exalted father,” equivalent to ʾabh “father” + ram “high, exalted”
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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.
While President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, the proclamation didn’t apply to border states loyal to the Union.
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
Did Gordon Granger, an otherwise obscure Union Army general, really stroll into Galveston and read a decree from Abraham Lincoln declaring, to a sea of onlookers, that all enslaved people were now officially free?
From Salon • Jun. 19, 2026
Still, the Obama Center presents us with some genuinely awe-inspiring pieces, such as the Bible upon which both Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama were sworn in as presidents.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
Not every enslaved person actually gained their freedom after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
Have you heard folks talking about Mr. Abraham Lincoln there?
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
