Dewey

American  

[doo-ee, dyoo-ee] / ˈdu i, ˈdyu i /

noun

1. George, 1837–1917, U.S. admiral: defeated Spanish fleet in Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War.

2. John, 1859–1952, U.S. philosopher and educator.

3. Melvil Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey, 1851–1931, U.S. educator, administrator, and innovator in the field of library science.

4. Thomas E(dmund), 1902–71, U.S. lawyer and political leader.

5. a male given name, form of David.

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Dewey British  

/ ˈdjuːɪ /

noun

1. John. 1859–1952, US pragmatist philosopher and educator: an exponent of progressivism in education, he formulated an instrumentalist theory of learning through experience. His works include The School and Society (1899), Democracy and Education (1916), and Logic: the Theory of Inquiry (1938)

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Example Sentences

Most of the original “Malcolm” cast returns for the limited series except notably Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025

James Dewey Watson was born in Chicago on 6 April 1928 to a family who believed in "books, birds and the Democratic Party".

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

In May, his handpicked commander, Commodore George Dewey, brought his ships into Manila Bay and destroyed the Spanish fleet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

If Judy says she can’t make it as a clerk, she’ll stay up all night learning the Dewey Decimal System.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2025

As he was brought into the warehouse, Smith recognized his old foe, Dewey; he stopped chewing a hunk of Doublemint gum he had in his mouth, and grinned and winked at Dewey, jaunty and mischievous.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote