Ahab

American  

[ey-hab] / ˈeɪ hæb /

noun

1. Bible. a king of Israel and husband of Jezebel, reigned 874?–853? b.c. null Achab

2. Literature. the captain of the ship Pequod and tragic hero of Melville's Moby Dick, obsessed with the pursuit of the white whale.

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Ahab British  

/ ˈeɪhæb /

noun

1. Old Testament the king of Israel from approximately 869 to 850 _bc and husband of Jezebel: rebuked by Elijah (I Kings 16:29–22:40)

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Etymology

Origin of Ahab

From Hebrew Aḥʾābh, probably “father's brother”

Example Sentences

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

In Guo’s re-reading, it is not just Ishmael that was recast, as Ahab now appears in the form of a freed black man named Seneca.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026

Like some tenured, landlocked Captain Ahab, I spent the entire week maniacally consulting with an equally agitated crew of scholars, undergrads, Cubans, Jubans, journalists, rabbis and one very committed lawyer in Miami.

From Salon • Jun. 22, 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

“I promise. Ahab is a good name. And I’m proud of you for knowing it. It’s from a very famous book.”

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram