Samson

American  

[sam-suhn] / ˈsæm sən /

noun

1. a judge of Israel famous for his great strength. Judges 13–16.

2. any man of extraordinary physical strength.

3. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “like the sun.”

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Samson British  

/ ˈsæmsən /

noun

1. a judge of Israel, who performed herculean feats of strength against the Philistine oppressors until he was betrayed to them by his mistress Delilah (Judges 13–16)

2. any man of outstanding physical strength

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Samson Cultural  

1. In the Old Testament, an Israelite servant of God who pitted his invincible strength and his wits against the Philistines on many occasions. He was eventually betrayed by his lover, the beautiful Delilah, who tricked Samson into telling her that the secret of his strength lay in his uncut hair. Delilah cut Samson's hair while he slept, and then called for the Philistines, who captured and blinded him. During his captivity, Samson's hair grew back, and he eventually pulled the Philistines' banquet hall down on their heads.

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Other Word Forms

• Samsonian adjective

Example Sentences

“Nobody wanted to touch late-stage funds two years ago,” said Ethan Samson, managing principal and director of private markets client and partner strategy at Meketa Investment Group.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Meketa’s Samson cautioned that currently late-stage funds tend to have a lot of overlap in their portfolios.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

According the news agency Reuters, Caf's competitions director, Samson Adamu, will take over as acting general secretary.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

The festivities included a city parade, where one Dena sailor, speaking to an independent journalist, Samson Sagar, marveled at the flavor of biryani, an Indian rice dish he had sampled.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

Freddie mumbles through his cake, Samson, and Mrs. Leibowitz tells him, Don’t talk wiz you mouse full, and I laugh because she’s grown-up and she says mouse instead of mouth.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt