Melville

American  

[mel-vil] / ˈmɛl vɪl /

noun

1. Herman, 1819–91, U.S. novelist.

2. Lake, a saltwater lake on the E coast of Labrador, Newfoundland, in E Canada, separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow inlet: the mouth of the Churchill River is at its W end. About 1,133 sq. mi. (2,935 sq. km).

3. a male given name.

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Melville British  

/ ˈmɛlvɪl /

noun

1. Herman. 1819–91, US novelist and short-story writer. Among his works, Moby Dick (1851) and Billy Budd (written 1891, published 1924) are outstanding

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Other Word Forms

• Melvillean
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Melville

Indie Shakes managing director David Melville distills his production around scenes of intense conflict.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

In “Moby-Dick,” Herman Melville describes Nantucket as an “ant hill in the sea,” an isolated outpost for whalers and drifters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

Brandy Melville is one of the few chains where girls and women can find on-trend and relatively well-constructed cotton basics for a low price point, keeping even disgruntled shoppers coming back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Joseph Favorito, a financial planner in Melville, N.Y., had a client who was making a big salary and worked until his late 70s.

From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026

Melville was carrying two thick binders, and as we sat at the bar, he laid them before me.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann