Hebrew

American  

[hee-broo] / ˈhi bru /

noun

• Hebrews
  plural

1. a member of the Semitic peoples inhabiting ancient Palestine and claiming descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; an Israelite.

2. a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic family, the language of the ancient Hebrews, which, although not in a vernacular use from 100 b.c. to the 20th century, was retained as the scholarly and liturgical language of Jews and is now the national language of Israel. Heb

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adjective

1. Hebraic.

2. noting or pertaining to the script developed from the Aramaic and early Hebraic alphabets, used since about the 3rd century b.c. for the writing of Hebrew, and later for Yiddish, Ladino, and other languages.

Hebrew British  

/ ˈhiːbruː /

noun

1. the ancient language of the Hebrews, revived as the official language of Israel. It belongs to the Canaanitic branch of the Semitic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages

2. a member of an ancient Semitic people claiming descent from Abraham; an Israelite

3. archaic a Jew

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Hebrews or their language

2. archaic Jewish

Hebrew Cultural  

1. The language of the Hebrews, in which the Old Testament was written. It is the language of the modern state of Israel.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• non-Hebrew
  noun
• pre-Hebrew
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Hebrews
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Hebrew

before 1000; Middle English Hebreu, variant (with H- < Latin ) of Ebreu < Old French < Medieval Latin Ebrēus for Latin Hebraeus < Late Greek Hebraîos < Aramaic ʿIbhraij; replacing Old English Ebrēas (plural) < Medieval Latin Ebrēī

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Hebrew Hebrews

Central to both Steinbeck’s novel and Kazan’s update is the author’s interpretation of the Hebrew word timshel, which he translates as “thou mayest.”

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

To do so, he used the words 'Am Yisrael' - a Hebrew phrase that means 'People of Israel' and is bound up in Jewish religion, community, culture and history.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Anthropologists have documented the Gogodala people of western Papua New Guinea singing Hebrew songs and hoisting the flag of Israel at tribal ceremonies.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

By using a more advanced model that includes two distinct superconducting orders, the Hebrew University researchers were able to explain the experimental measurements much more accurately.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

The words left my mouth before I even realized it, the Hebrew sharp on the tongue, like splinters.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

I thought of Hebrews 13:2: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

Yet the Hebrew Bible shows that Hebrews were as terrified of existential uprootedness as Blaise Pascal or any Christian king.

From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2024

Over the decades, the Black Hebrews have made gradual inroads into Israeli society.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2023

On June 1, the community celebrated New World Passover, a holiday marking the exodus from the United States of the Black Hebrews who came to Israel in the 1960s.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2023

Lee said, “St. Paul says to the Hebrews that Abel had faith.”

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck