Ahab
Americannoun
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Bible. a king of Israel and husband of Jezebel, reigned 874?–853? b.c. null Achab
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Literature. the captain of the ship Pequod and tragic hero of Melville's Moby Dick, obsessed with the pursuit of the white whale.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Ahab
From Hebrew Aḥʾābh, probably “father's brother”
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.
A wise elder compares Hitler to Captain Ahab in “Moby-Dick,” with Germany as his doomed Pequod.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Like Guo’s version of Ishmael, Ahab, and the “cannibal” Queequeg, all who keep beautifully to the spirit of Melville’s characters, Guo’s inclusion of a Chinese sage to the story is another fascinating innovation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
To my relief, the directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, working with the screenwriter Julia Cox, trace Diana’s mythic roots not just to the naiads, but to zealots like Captain Ahab.
From New York Times ● Nov. 2, 2023
“And she’s Captain Ahab and she wants to get the big whale. She ain’t gonna get the big whale. She’ll go down. The big whale will laugh at her.”
From Washington Times ● Jun. 14, 2023
He was the son of Captain Ahab and Captain Hook.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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