David

American  

[dey-vid, dah-vuht, da-veed, dah-veeth] / ˈdeɪ vɪd, ˈdɑ vət, daˈvid, dɑˈvið /

noun

1. died c970 b.c., the second king of Israel, reigned c1010–c970, successor to Saul: slayer of the Philistine giant Goliath.

2. Also called Dewi Sant.  Saint. a.d. c510–601?, Welsh bishop: patron saint of Wales.

3. Gerard 1460?–1523, Flemish artist.

4. Jacques Louis 1748–1825, French painter.

5. a city in SW Panama.

6. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “beloved.”

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David British  

/ ˈdeɪvɪd /

noun

1. the second king of the Hebrews (about 1000–962 _bc ), who united Israel as a kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital

2. Elizabeth . 1914–92, British cookery writer. Her books include Mediterranean Food (1950) and An Omelette and a Glass of Wine (1984)

3. Jacques Louis (ʒɑk lwi). 1748–1825, French neoclassical painter of such works as the Oath of the Horatii (1784), Death of Socrates (1787), and The Intervention of the Sabine Women (1799). He actively supported the French Revolution and became court painter to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804; banished at the Bourbon restoration

4. Saint . 6th century _ad , Welsh bishop; patron saint of Wales. Feast day: March 1

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David ¹ Cultural  

1. A great king of the Israelites in the Old Testament. David was a shepherd in his boyhood. As a youth, he asked for King Saul's permission to fight Goliath, the giant Philistine warrior whom all the other Israelites were afraid to face. Despite his small size, David managed to kill Goliath by hitting him in the forehead with a stone flung from a sling. King Saul then gave David command of his army, but he grew jealous of him and tried to kill him; David spent many years fleeing from Saul. After Saul's death, David was made king of the Israelites and served nobly, despite occasional lapses, such as an affair with Bathsheba; he had Bathsheba's husband killed so that he could marry her. Many of the Psalms are attributed to David, who was famed as a harpist. His descendants, the House of David, included Solomon and the subsequent kings of Israel and Judah; according to the Gospels, Jesus was descended from David.

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David ² Cultural  

1. A large marble statue made by Michelangelo of the biblical king David. Michelangelo portrays him as a youth just about to do battle with the giant Goliath.

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Discover More

A “David and Goliath” contest is an unequal one in which one side is far bigger or more numerous than the other.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

David

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz answer listeners’ questions of all kinds: the political, the personal, and everything in-between.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

Peak Cluster chief executive David Parkin said the firm remained committed to working with the zoo.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

“The relevance of store comps, I think, is not as pertinent as it was a decade ago,” said Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

We're "seeing some incremental pressure on the consumer relative to the beginning of the year with higher fuel prices," Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey said on a conference call with analysts.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

“He felt it was his fault that David died on the mountain. He was totally devastated.”

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone