Goliath

noun

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

Examples of Goliath in a Sentence

the family-owned company lost the contract to a multibillion-dollar Goliath
Recent Examples on the Web The back and forth presented itself as a David vs Goliath battle between the two tech companies. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 12 Mar. 2024 There has been a slow metamorphosis of America’s technology industry from David to Goliath. Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 In the Bible, David slew Goliath in a single encounter. Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2024 Director: Shashanka Chaturvedi Cast: Kajol Devgan, Kriti Sanon, Shaheer Sheikh, Tanvi Azmi Maharaj Release Date: TBC Logline: Inspired by true events, Maharaj is an incredible David vs. Goliath story. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 China’s ascendance as a ‘soft’ power tallies with its growing status as an economic Goliath and underscores the link between soft power and the harder-nosed world of business. Courtney Fingar, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 These spiders can range from a modest few inches in leg span to the colossal Goliath bird-eating tarantula, which can stretch up to 11 inches across. Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 The Giving Pies, a fixture in San Jose’s Willow Glen district, has become a small-business David going up against a corporate Goliath that now appears to have shifted gears into full mea culpa mode after the tech titan’s order cancellation that left the local merchant in a financial squeeze. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 And with Goliath, their champion, now slain, the Philistines accept defeat. Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Goliath.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew Golyath

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near Goliath

Cite this Entry

“Goliath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Goliath. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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