Jehu

American  

[jee-hyoo, -hoo] / ˈdʒi hyu, -hu /

noun

1. (in the Bible) a king of Israel noted for his furious chariot attacks.

2. jehu, a fast driver.

3. jehu, the driver of a cab or coach.

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Jehu British  

/ ˈdʒiːhjuː /

noun

1. Old Testament the king of Israel (?842–?815 _bc ); the slayer of Jezebel (II Kings 9:11–30)

2. a fast driver, esp one who is reckless (from the phrase to drive like Jehu . II Kings 9:20)

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Etymology

Origin of Jehu

First recorded in 1680–90 Jehu for defs. 2, 3; from Hebrew Yēhūʾ “Yah (God) is he,” i.e., “Yahweh is God”

Example Sentences

Drive Like Jehu reunited in 2014 for a performance at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in San Diego’s Balboa Park and later played festivals including Coachella.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2023

In this relief from the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, Assyrian king Shalmaneser III is shown receiving tribute from Jehu, the king of Israel, bowing before him.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Also on Broad Street, Jehu Jones Sr., who was born enslaved, opened a business once described as “the finest hotel in Charleston.”

From Washington Times • Feb. 6, 2021

In August 1777, a year after the United States declared its independence, a Black man named Jehu Grant escaped enslavement in Rhode Island to join the Continental Army to serve in the Revolutionary War.

From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2020

His toes showed, but he hadn’t liked it when Jehu had referred to him as ‘a boy with broken shoes.’

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes