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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

Maybe this is the year we all find Joseph Kony.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

Secretary-General António Guterres released on Sunday, Joseph asked for the U.N.’s mediation to stop further bloodshed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

Froliana Joseph, a cleaner at the property, was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

With Hirving Lozano and Joseph Paintstil returning from injury and Marco Reus from illness, the Galaxy on Saturday started their strongest lineup of the season and were rewarded with a season-high four goals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

In what I recognize as a guest parlor, Joseph gestures to a visitors’ book lying open on an end table.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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

She was dressed in a cinnamon-brown joseph, buttoned at the waist, and showing, above and below, an under-dress of supple woven material, creamy in colour and flowered in golden silk.

From The Yeoman Adventurer by George W. Gough

In the afternoon, his flying joseph was exchanged for a round jacket of sea-grass: and in the evening he generally appeared in a seersucker coat.

From Pencil Sketches or, Outlines of Character and Manners by Eliza Leslie

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

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