Hillel

American

[hil-el, -eyl, -uhl, hi-leyl, hee-lel] / ˈhɪl ɛl, -eɪl, -əl, hɪˈleɪl, hiˈlɛl /

noun

ha-Zaken, c60 b.c.–a.d. 9?, Palestinian rabbi, president of the Sanhedrin and interpreter of Biblical law: first to formulate definitive hermeneutic principles.

Hillel British

/ ˈhɪlɛl, -ləl /

noun

?60 _bc –?9 _ad , rabbi, born in Babylonia; president of the Sanhedrin. He was the first to formulate principles of biblical interpretation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

He was also a rambling eccentric whose personal pantheon included Jesus, Hillel, Muhammad, Karl Marx and Carl Sagan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

In the hills above Beit Hillel, military vehicles rumbled along the winding roads heading towards the border.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Gore said attending Birthright initially seemed like a “natural extension” of her upbringing, which had involved Jewish sleepaway camp, Hebrew school, and college Hillel.

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2024

Many of the wounded have been evacuated to Hillel Yaffe Medical Centre in nearby Hadera - with others being taken to hospitals in Tel Hashomer, Haifa, Afula and Netanya.

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2024

Jacob says, "My rabbi used to say that Hillel was one of Jesus's teachers. I don't know if that's true, though."

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023