Ishmael
Americannoun
-
(in the Bible) the son of Abraham and Hagar: both he and Hagar were cast out of Abraham's family by Sarah.
-
any outcast.
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
Etymology
Origin of Ishmael
From Hebrew Yishmāʿēl “God will hear”
Compare meaning
How does ishmael compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Like Guo’s version of Ishmael, Ahab, and the “cannibal” Queequeg, all who keep beautifully to the spirit of Melville’s characters, Guo’s inclusion of a Chinese sage to the story is another fascinating innovation.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026
British light-middleweight Ishmael Davis took two successive late replacement fights in 2024, one at Wembley Stadium and one in Riyadh, and has now lost three in a row.
From BBC • Oct. 11, 2025
From the canon, not just Thoreau but also Melville’s Ishmael sought a change of scene when life became too much; more recent examples might include Chris McCandless in “Into the Wild” and memoirist Cheryl Strayed.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2025
Ishmael Daro, an editor at Democracy Now!, made a tongue-in-cheek prediction that the reaction from the U.S. political establishment would be similar this time.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2024
He’d had a cordial, lonely, persevering face, and Ishmael turned now to stare into it, for there was a portrait of Arthur hung on the wall just to the left of a bookcase.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
