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• Joseph
  Joseph

  noun

  (in the Bible) Jacob's eleventh son, the first of Jacob and his second wife, Rachel: sold into slavery by his brothers.
• joseph
  joseph

  noun

  a woman's floor-length riding coat with a small cape, worn esp in the 18th century

Joseph

American  

[joh-zuhf, -suhf] / ˈdʒoʊ zəf, -səf /

noun

1. (in the Bible) Jacob's eleventh son, the first of Jacob and his second wife, Rachel: sold into slavery by his brothers.

2. (in the Bible) the husband of Mary who was the mother of Jesus.

3. Hinmaton-yalaktit, c1840–1904, leader of the Nez Perce: led 1,000-mile (1,600-km) retreat from U.S. forces in an attempt to reach Canada in 1877.

4. joseph, a long coat buttoning in the front, worn especially by women as part of their riding habit in colonial America.

5. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “increaser.”

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Joseph ¹ British  

/ ˈdʒəʊzɪf /

noun

1. Old Testament

   1. the eleventh son of Jacob and one of the 12 patriarchs of Israel (Genesis 30:2–24)

   2. either or both of two tribes descended from his sons Ephraim and Manasseh

2. New Testament the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus (Matthew 1:16–25). Feast day: Mar 19

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joseph ² British  

/ ˈdʒəʊzɪf /

noun

1. a woman's floor-length riding coat with a small cape, worn esp in the 18th century

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Etymology

Origin of joseph

perhaps from the story of Joseph and his long coat (Genesis 37:3)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Joseph joseph

Joseph, whose older brother Jonathan won 54 caps for England between 2012 and 2020, has been one of the stars of Gloucester's resurgence this season, alternating between wing and midfield.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026

She was Big Mama, the matriarch of the central Joseph family, in George Tillman Jr.’s 1997 “Soul Food,” starring Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox and Nia Long as her three daughters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026

In many respects the egocentric Morton, born Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, was the polar opposite of fellow New Orleanian Louis Armstrong, a radiant light bulb of a human being who also began recording in 1923.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

The stock’s extensive recent decline led Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore to remove Nvidia as his top pick in a Wednesday note, pointing to the investment bank’s “stop-loss policy.”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2026

Old Joseph shook his head, his eyes searching my face in confusion.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Chinua Achebe: The man who rediscovered Africa Topics: , , , joseph conrad, heart of darkness, , , Chinua Achebe has died at 82.

From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2013

Olivia would be drawn as an Amazon, sitting upon a bank of flowers, drest in a green joseph, richly laced with gold, and a whip in her hand.

From The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith

By nine o'clock she was safe on the pillion behind Long Snapps, folded in Aunt Poll's red joseph, and provided with saddle-bags full of comforts and necessaries.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 01, No. 01, November, 1857 A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics by Various

I hope the last I got here will not disturb the Meeting, and my new muff,—very big it is,—and a green joseph to ride in.

From Hugh Wynne, Free Quaker by S. Weir (Silas Weir) Mitchell

I did as she bade me, and she doffed hat and joseph.

From The Yeoman Adventurer by George W. Gough

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