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

See Examples For:

Samson

The Harland and Wolff shipyard is to spend £3m refurbishing its famous yellow cranes, Samson and Goliath.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Samson Derham and his bunkmates at Camp Harlam typically pick rock-wall climbing or free swim as their Saturday elective activity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Samson, who is studying to be a crime analyst, found that it was easy to get acquainted with the older residents.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Samson also sent shock waves through the bureau.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

It turned out that Agent Samson was something along the lines of a circuit-court speech therapist.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris