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.

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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)

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Etymology

Origin of Goliath

Ultimately from Hebrew Gōlyāth, of uncertain origin

Explanation

Someone or something with an unusually large amount of strength is a goliath. Your soccer team might be nervous if you show up to a game and the other team's players are a bunch of goliaths. This adjective comes from the Biblical figure Goliath, who despite his greater size and strength was defeated by the young David. So while it's fine to use goliath to simply mean "giant" or "strong person," it's even more fitting for something supposedly strong and unbeatable that's actually vulnerable. You might challenge a goliath of a developer that's threatening to cut down the oldest maple tree in town — and, like David, you just might win.

Example Sentences

Goliath sued in South African court to be reinstated but lost—and is now showing her video installation at the Church of San Antonio.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

A mum awarded more than £35,000 in compensation after being sacked from a bar claims she has "not received a penny" almost six months after her "David vs. Goliath" tribunal ruling.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Never mind that if he was the David, then the Goliath was the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s parking division, notoriously difficult to challenge.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Apple’s purchasing power and expertise in designing advanced electronics long made it an unrivaled Goliath among the Asian companies that make most of the iPhone’s parts and assemble the device.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

Our players looked like five Davids flailing against Goliath.

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli