Samuel

American  

[sam-yoo-uhl] / ˈsæm yu əl /

noun

1. a judge and prophet of Israel. 1 Samuel 1–3; 8–15.

2. either of two books of the Bible bearing his name. 1 Sam., 2 Sam.

3. a male given name.

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Samuel British  

/ ˈsæmjʊəl /

noun

1. a Hebrew prophet, seer, and judge, who anointed the first two kings of the Israelites (I Samuel 1–3; 8–15)

2. either of the two books named after him, I and II Samuel

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Etymology

Origin of Samuel

From Late Latin Samuhel, from Greek Samouḗl, from Hebrew Shĕmūʾēl “Name of El (God),” or “His name is El (God)”

Example Sentences

“Fame,” as Samuel Johnson put it, “is a shuttlecock. If it be struck only at one end of the room, it will soon fall to the ground.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Caitlin Martin, 24 and Samuel Fairley, 25, have known each other for three years but have been together two-and-a-half years.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

In making his argument to dismiss the case, Samuel Cross, a deputy federal public defender, said he was quoting the judge in calling it “amateur hour at the U.S. attorney’s office.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

At one point, Justice Samuel Alito, echoing Winston Churchill, described the key, five-word provision of the 14th Amendment as “a puzzle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a mystery.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

“Yes, it was! We called you Samuel, after my father and Charlotte’s. But you have become Alexander Incorrigible now, haven’t you?”

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood