Josiah

American

[joh-sahy-uh] / dʒoʊˈsaɪ ə /

noun

Also Josias a Biblical king of Judah, reigned 640?–609? b.c.
a male given name.

Josiah British

/ dʒəʊˈsaɪə /

noun

Douay spelling: Josias. died ?609 _bc , king of Judah (?640–?609). After the discovery of a book of law (probably Deuteronomy) in the Temple he began a programme of religious reform

"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

Etymology

Origin of Josiah

From Late Latin Iosias, Josias, from Greek Iōsías, from Hebrew Yōshīyāh, Yōshīyāhū “God upholds”

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.

One of those feeling the squeeze is Josiah Hadly III, 87, who moved with his now-deceased wife from Pennsylvania to Florida with plans to retire.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

Josiah Johnson had 14 of his 25 points for Mayfair in fourth quarter.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025

Brandon Lake, a 35-year-old belter from South Carolina, has pulled in 862 million streams, while Josiah Queen, a 22-year-old with a knack for thumping acoustic folk, has 515 million.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025

Gloucester conjured five tries of their own -- Matias Alemanno, Seb Blake, Josiah Edwards-Giraud, Will Joseph and James Venter crossing -- with Ross Byrne kicking three conversions and a penalty.

From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025

Qendrim would dole out passes to Jeremiah and Josiah, and she expected them to shoot—a lot.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

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