Sidney

American  

[sid-nee] / ˈsɪd ni /

Also Sydney

noun

1. Sir Philip, 1554–86, English poet, writer, statesman, and soldier.

2. a city in N Ohio.

3. a male or female given name: a family name taken from a French placename, Saint Denis.

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Sidney British  

/ ˈsɪdnɪ /

noun

1. Algernon. 1622–83, English Whig politician, beheaded for his supposed part in the Rye House Plot to assassinate Charles II and the future James II: author of Discourses Concerning Government (1689)

2. Sir Philip. 1554–86, English poet, courtier, and soldier. His works include the pastoral romance Arcadia (1590), the sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella (1591), and The Defence of Poesie (1595), one of the earliest works of literary criticism in English

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Example Sentences

In 1969, as a young physicist, Leibowitz interviewed for a job at Salomon Brothers with Sidney Homer, the brilliant dean of the bond business.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

At age 39, Jordan joins a small circle of Black actors who have won the prestigious best actor Oscar, after Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

"I stand here because of the people who came before me - Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

After he and other federal agents arrived at the jail, they spotted 44-year-old Sidney Lori Reid, who was recording them on her phone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

Him and Ma and Mrs. Holton were sitting on the bench, and Penelope and Cicely and Sidney Prince were sitting in the bed.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis