Ishmael

[ ish-mee-uhl, -mey- ]

/ ˈɪʃ mi əl, -meɪ- /

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noun

the son of Abraham and Hagar: both he and Hagar were cast out of Abraham's family by Sarah. Genesis 16:11, 12.

any outcast.

an Arab.

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Origin of Ishmael

From Hebrew Yishmāʿēl “God will hear”

Words nearby Ishmael

Isherwood framing, Ishiguro, Ishihara test, Ishikari Bay, Ishim, Ishmael, Ishmaelite, Ishtar, Ishtar Terra, Ishum, Ishvara

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Ishmael in a sentence

In an interview with Poynter, Ishmael explained why she chose to quit her job at Texas Tribune and how news organizations need to take greater accountability for their working environments.
Media Briefing: Following Google’s cookie-killing extension, publishers focus on confronting Apple’s Safari problem|Tim Peterson|August 12, 2021|Digiday
It is clear that while Ishmael and Isaac end up very different people, they bear one another no ill will.
Isaac, Ishmael And Burying The Hatchet|Alana Suskin|September 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In this way, our fathers, Isaac and Ishmael, will both see their children thrive together.
Isaac, Ishmael And Burying The Hatchet|Alana Suskin|September 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Finally, when Abraham dies, Isaac and Ishmael return to bury him.
Isaac, Ishmael And Burying The Hatchet|Alana Suskin|September 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Ishmael Beah, former child soldier and author of A Long Way Gone, joined us to discuss KONY 2012 and his own experiences.
Live Chat About Kony with Ishmael Beah|The Daily Beast|April 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Just over a week later, on July 9, a man named Ishmael “Hoody” Kourma received six fatal gunshot wounds in Steubenville, Ohio.
8 Explosive Finds in Wu-Tang Clan Member Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s FBI Files|Marlow Stern|January 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They boast of having descended from Abraham through Ishmael, believing that this patriarch built Mecca and died there.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
His principal children were Isaac, born of his wife by a miraculous favor of Providence, and Ishmael, born of his servant.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
The fact is, that the race of Ishmael has been infinitely more favored by God than has that of Jacob.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
The similitude is a calumny on the descendants of Ishmael; the fiercest Bedouin are refined and mild compared with the Apaches.
Overland|John William De Forest
Ishmael would not rise in insurrection, even if his brother Isaac and father Abraham went to war.
The Boys of '61|Charles Carleton Coffin.

British Dictionary definitions for Ishmael

Ishmael

/ (ˈɪʃmeɪəl) /

noun

the son of Abraham and Hagar, Sarah's handmaid: the ancestor of 12 Arabian tribes (Genesis 21:8–21; 25:12–18)

a bandit chieftain, who defied the Babylonian conquerors of Judah and assassinated the governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar (II Kings 25:25; Jeremiah 40:13–41:18)

rare an outcast

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