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.

---

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

---

Example Sentences

As he accepted the Oscar, his first, Jordan attributed his win to the “people who came before me” and listed celebrated Black actors — “giants,” “greats” — including Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington and Halle Berry.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 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

Six times the U.S. has finished second to Canada in an Olympic hockey tournament, the last in 2010 when Sidney Crosby’s goal in overtime gave Canada a record ninth gold medal.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

I heard Sidney Goldberg say something, but I couldn’t make out his words.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok