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

"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

The only non-spoiler cameo is Courteney Cox’s reporter Gale Weathers, an antagonist-turned-mascot who goads Sidney into admitting that their relationship is “complicated but enduring.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Having evaded 12 homicidal masked madmen, madwomen, mad-cousins and mad-siblings, Sidney is now a married mother of three who prefers the last name Evans.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Hockey legend Sidney Crosby suffered an injury in the quarterfinals, keeping him sidelined on Sunday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

The next batter hit a high fly to the second baseman, who caught it, dropped it, retrieved it, and made a wild attempt at tagging Sidney Goldberg as he raced past him to second.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok