James

American  

[jeymz] / dʒeɪmz /

noun

1. Also called James the Great.  one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, the son of Zebedee and brother of the apostle John.

2. a person identified in the Christian scriptures as a brother of Jesus.

3. Also called James the Less.  James the son of Alphaeus, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus.

4. Alice, 1848–92, U.S. diarist, sister of Henry and William James.

5. C(yril) L(ionel) R(obert), 1901–89, Trinidadian author, historian, and political activist.

6. Daniel, Jr. Chappie, 1920–78, U.S. Air Force officer: first Black general.

7. Henry, 1811–82, U.S. philosopher and author (father of Henry and William James).

8. Henry, 1843–1916, U.S. novelist and critic in England (brother of William James).

9. Jesse (Woodson) 1847–82, U.S. outlaw and legendary figure.

10. Will, 1892–1942, U.S. author and illustrator.

11. William, 1842–1910, U.S. psychologist and pragmatist philosopher (brother of Henry James).

12. a river flowing east from the western part of Virginia to Chesapeake Bay. 340 miles (547 km) long.

13. a river flowing south from central North Dakota through South Dakota to the Missouri River. 710 miles (1,143 km) long.

14. one of the books of the New Testament. Jas.

15. a male given name.

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James British  

/ dʒeɪmz /

noun

1. Clive. born 1939, Australian journalist, critic and broadcaster. His books include the memoirs Unreliable Memoirs (1980) and North Face of Soho (2006) and the novel Brilliant Creatures (1983)

2. Henry 1843–1916, British novelist, short-story writer, and critic, born in the US Among his novels are Washington Square (1880), The Portrait of a Lady (1881), The Bostonians (1886), The Wings of the Dove (1902), The Ambassadors (1903), and The Golden Bowl (1904)

3. Jesse ( Woodson ). 1847–82, US outlaw

4. P ( hyllis ) D ( orothy ), Baroness James of Holland Park. born 1920, British detective novelist. Her books include Death of an Expert Witness (1977), Original Sin (1994), and Death in Holy Orders (2001)

5. William , brother of Henry James. 1842–1910, US philosopher and psychologist, whose theory of pragmatism is expounded in Essays in Radical Empiricism (1912). His other works include The Will to Believe (1897), The Principles of Psychology (1890), and The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902)

6. New Testament

   1. known as James the Great. one of the twelve apostles, a son of Zebedee and brother to John the apostle (Matthew 4:21). Feast day: July 25 or April 30

   2. known as James the Less. one of the twelve apostles, son of Alphaeus (Matthew 10:3). Feast day: May 3 or Oct 9

   3. known as James the brother of the Lord. a brother or close relative of Jesus (Mark 6:3; Galatians 1:19). Feast day: Oct 23

   4. the book ascribed to his authorship (in full The Epistle of James )

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Etymology

Origin of James

Middle English Jame(s), from Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin Jacomus, for unattested Jacobus, alteration of Late Latin Jacōbus Jacob; compare Spanish Jaime, Italian Giacomo

Example Sentences

“For now, the data is still telling us that we should be very reluctant to assume a large decline in growth,” said James Egelhof, chief U.S. economist at BNP Paribas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Fitting James, Doncic and Reaves together came with growing pains, but pairing James and Kennard has felt simple.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

The Janet Jackson that “Control” unleashed on the world was a teenager shaking off the dust of two forgettable pop albums and a misguided elopement with another pop star, James DeBarge, when she was 18.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

Investors clearly embraced a tentative cease-fire earlier this week, and they likely remain laser-focused on developments in Iran, said Ed Mills, a Washington policy analyst at Raymond James.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

On North Figueroa Street, as I approached the laundry, I spotted James up on the flat roof.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu