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
Goliath and a pebble, Achilles and his heel, the ultra-fast 6G network and … walls. — New Atlas, 19 June 2026 People flocked to their TVs, bars and watch parties in droves to catch the Knicks topple Goliath. — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 17 June 2026 Both take the Goliath music industry to task in a way that feels like the band is finally able to hurl the boulder that they’ve been forced to roll up the hill. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 15 June 2026 Group play will open with a David-and-Goliath matchup between Germany and Curacao, playing its first World Cup game. — Los Angeles Times, 8 June 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

Browse Nearby Words

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 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on Goliath

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Goliath

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