Ira

¹ American

[ahy-ruh] / ˈaɪ rə /

noun

a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “watchful.”

IRA ² American

Or I.R.A.

IRA British

abbreviation

Irish Republican Army

"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.

My first name was inspired by “Liza,” the 1929 song with Ira Gershwin’s lyrics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

Such disruptions can no longer be easily dismissed as one-off issues, says Ira Joseph, a researcher at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

Ira Rootman had a sacrifice fly and two more runs were scored after a bunt and bases-loaded walk.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Enter “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” created by Martin and “House of the Dragon” co-executive producer Ira Parker, and part of a TV franchise that’s continuing to expand despite delivering diminishing returns.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2026

Ira accepted our choice with her usual docility; if she fretted at the thought of leaving us and her brothers she showed no sign.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

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