Saul

American  

[sawl] / sɔl /

noun

1. the first king of Israel. 1 Samuel 9.

2. Also called Saul of Tarsus. the original name of the apostle Paul. Acts 9:1–30; 22:3.

3. a male given name.

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Saul British  

/ sɔːl /

noun

1. Old Testament the first king of Israel (?1020–1000 _bc ). He led Israel successfully against the Philistines, but was in continual conflict with the high priest Samuel. He became afflicted with madness and died by his own hand; succeeded by David

2. New Testament the name borne by Paul prior to his conversion (Acts 9: 1–30)

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Saul Cultural  

1. The first king of Israel, who battled repeatedly with the Philistines. He often felt great despair, which was soothed by David playing his harp. Saul later became jealous of David and tried to have him killed in battle. After a prophesied defeat by the Philistines, Saul killed himself.

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Discover More

Saul was also the Apostle Paul's original name.

Etymology

Origin of Saul

From Late Latin Saul, from Greek Saoúl, from Hebrew Shāʾūl “asked for (from God)”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Saul

German courts moved toward that principle last year in a case brought by Peruvian farmer Saul Luciano Lliuya against energy company RWE.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Saul doesn’t have Dan’s ability to spot future talent, but he agrees to give the singer a listen if they cut a demo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Slash, also known as Saul Hudson, is famous worldwide as the guitarist for Guns N' Roses.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

This calls to mind Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals”: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

He pulled the laptop closer to himself and did a search for Saul and then Jonas.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

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