Goliath

American  

[guh-lahy-uhth] / gəˈlaɪ əθ /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the giant warrior of the Philistines whom David killed with a stone from a sling.

2. Usually goliath a giant.

3. Usually goliath a very large, powerful, or influential person or thing.

   a neighborhood grocery competing against the supermarket goliaths.

---

Goliath British  

/ ɡəˈlaɪəθ /

noun

1. Old Testament a Philistine giant from Gath who terrorized the Hebrews until he was killed by David with a stone from his sling (I Samuel 17)

---

Etymology

Origin of Goliath

Ultimately from Hebrew Gōlyāth, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

"I can't tell you what your sweet messages mean to me and how lucky I feel to have been a part of this once in a generation Goliath of a television show," she wrote.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

He said it was "becoming tougher" for residents to make a living and believed overturning Article 4 was a "little David and Goliath moment" for campaigners.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Yet on the other side, that was still a heavyweight, a Goliath in red.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

Paul, naturally, tried to spin the fight as David versus Goliath, a contrast which would probably work better if he did not post videos of himself aboard his own jet, but whatever.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

Sometimes I feel as if this Montana winter is Goliath and I am David.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson