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.
"Dolly is like a mother to everyone who lives here," said 24-year-old local Jonah La Grand, clad in a Dolly Parton t-shirt and speaking of her in the present tense.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Attention screenwriters, producers and agents: The Jonah Jeovany Vasquez story continues this weekend in Clovis, and it’s giving off Disney-like vibes.
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 knew it would be, hands down, better than anything Jonah would give him.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
