Jonah
Americannoun
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a Minor Prophet who, for his impiety, was thrown overboard from his ship and swallowed by a large fish, remaining in its belly for three days before being cast up onto the shore unharmed.
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a book of the Bible bearing his name.
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any person or thing regarded as bringing bad luck.
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Also Jonas a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “dove.”
noun
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Old Testament
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a Hebrew prophet who, having been thrown overboard from a ship in which he was fleeing from God, was swallowed by a great fish and vomited onto dry land
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the book in which his adventures are recounted
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a person believed to bring bad luck to those around him; a jinx
Other Word Forms
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.
The freed captives are currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital and will return home at a later date, army spokesman Danjuma Jonah Danjuma said in a statement issued on Friday evening.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The Academy Award-winning actor, who portrayed Daily Bugle chief J. Jonah Jameson in director Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy, was reunited with his onscreen nemesis at the New York Mets game Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
Jonah Peretti, BuzzFeed’s founder and its current CEO, will become president of BuzzFeed AI, a newly-created position.
From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026
Allen will also take over as chief executive and chair, succeeding BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
I close the book too hard, and Jonah scribbles a note and holds it up.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
