Ezra
Americannoun
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a Jewish scribe and prophet of the 5th century b.c., who with Nehemiah led the revival of Judaism in Palestine.
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a book of the Bible bearing his name. Ezr.
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a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “help.”
noun
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a Jewish priest of the 5th century bc , who was sent from Babylon by the Persian king Artaxerxes I to reconstitute observance of the Jewish law and worship in Jerusalem after the captivity
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the book recounting his efforts to perform this task
Etymology
Origin of Ezra
From Late Latin Ezras, ulimately from Hebrew ʿezrā “help”
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.
She knew this would have something to do with Ezra Garfield, the man who she told police had been plaguing her with messages on social media after they briefly dated.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
Ezra Preis has come through with some big hits.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
The arrest of pastor Ezra Jin has drawn criticism from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and members of Congress.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Authorities revoked the legal license of a lawyer involved in the case, Zhang Kai, according to Ezra Jin’s daughter Grace Jin and Li Xiaoming, a Chinese lawyer familiar with the case.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Did Ezra ever think that Janie was weird?
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
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.
