Jesse

American

[jes-ee] / ˈdʒɛs i /

noun

(in the Bible) the father of David.
a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “God exists.”

Jesse British

/ ˈdʒɛsɪ /

noun

Old Testament the father of David (I Samuel 16)

"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.

Research led by Jesse Dixon, MD, PhD, explores how DNA is arranged in three dimensions inside cells, revealing that problems with this structure can lead to cancer and developmental conditions, including autism-related disorders.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

Threatened with deportation, he was held in prison for 17 months, with everyone from Will Smith to Rev Jesse Jackson petitioning for his release.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

“As AI drives a step change in chip complexity and capital investment, Synopsys is uniquely positioned to benefit from this growth,” Elliott managing partner Jesse Cohn said in a statement shared with Barron’s.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

That decline wasn’t merely the problem of Jesse Jackson.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

I step across last and join Jesse on the plank in the middle.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

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