Eli

American

[ee-lahy] / ˈi laɪ /

noun

(in the Bible) a Hebrew judge and priest.
Also Elie a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “height.”

Eli British

/ ˈiːlaɪ /

noun

Old Testament the highest priest at Shiloh and teacher of Samuel (I Samuel 1–3)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The company, which gets its name from the last names of its founders, Donald Bruce Kaufman and Eli Broad, rode the boom and helped shape the growth of Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Foundayo is Eli Lilly’s attempt to counter Novo Nordisk’s successful launch of a pill version of its Wegovy drug.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Eli Lilly launched its daily weight-loss pill, Foundayo, through pharmacies and telehealth, including its own online pharmacy.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Those who have commercial coverage can often use a manufacturer savings card from drugmakers like Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly to lower the out-of-pocket co-pay to as little as $25 per month.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

Other instances are Eli Whitney’s 1794 invention of his cotton gin to replace laborious hand cleaning of cotton grown in the U.S.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023