Absalom

American  

[ab-suh-luhm] / ˈæb sə ləm /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the third and favorite son of David, who rebelled against his father and was slain by Joab.

2. a first name: from a Hebrew word meaning “father of peace.”

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Absalom British  

/ ˈæbsələm /

noun

1. Old Testament the third son of David, who rebelled against his father and was eventually killed by Joab (II Samuel 15–18)

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Example Sentences

In the 1950s and ’60s, a literary-minded cat named Dr. Absalom Minola — writing via his “butler,” future UC Berkeley archivist Jim Kantor — began sending letters to authors, editors and public figures.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

Mr Absalom said he had asked the review team to consider exhuming the bodies, so they can be examined in light of modern forensic techniques.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2024

But there wasn’t much talk about abolitionism, or Forten’s old friends, like Absalom Jones, founder of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, or William Lloyd Garrison, editor of The Liberator newspaper.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 13, 2022

There, while reading Latin and cleaning out the chicken coop, Harrison finally finds someone he can truly respect: a fellow student named Eli Absalom Stone.

From Washington Post • May 31, 2022

The mayor’s note to the authors recognized not only Absalom Jones and Richard Allen but all of the people who volunteered under their direction.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy