Goliath

1 of 3

noun (1)

Go·​li·​ath gə-ˈlī-əth How to pronounce Goliath (audio)
Synonyms of Goliathnext
1
: a Philistine champion who in I Samuel 17 is killed by David
2
: giant

goliath crane

2 of 3

noun (2)

variants or less commonly goliath
plural -s
: a powerful traveling crane mounted on a movable gantry of large span

goliath heron

3 of 3

noun (3)

variants or less commonly goliath
: a very large chiefly African heron (Ardea goliath) having the head, neck, and underparts brown and the back slaty gray

Synonyms of Goliath

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Noun (1)

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Examples of Goliath in a Sentence

Noun (1) the family-owned company lost the contract to a multibillion-dollar Goliath
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Noun
Drawing on classic trial films and cartoon lore, director Dave Green crafts an underdog story that mirrors the movie’s own David-versus-Goliath journey from studio discard to theatrical release. — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Michelangelo’s statue of David, the Biblical hero who used a slingshot to slay the giant Goliath, was unveiled to the public in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy. — USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 His fight comes to represent a larger struggle against corporate greed — a rich theme that took on far greater resonance once the film had to go up against its own Goliath, in the form of Zaslav. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026 But this David-and-Goliath story did not begin with data centers. — Rana Mitter, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for Goliath

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Hebrew Golyath

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Goliath was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing Goliath

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goliardic
Goliath
goliath beetle
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Cite this Entry

“Goliath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Goliath. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on Goliath

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Goliath

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