Ezra

American  

[ez-ruh] / ˈɛz rə /

noun

1. a Jewish scribe and prophet of the 5th century b.c., who with Nehemiah led the revival of Judaism in Palestine.

2. a book of the Bible bearing his name. Ezr.

3. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “help.”

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Ezra British  

/ ˈɛzrə /

noun

1. a Jewish priest of the 5th century _bc , who was sent from Babylon by the Persian king Artaxerxes I to reconstitute observance of the Jewish law and worship in Jerusalem after the captivity

2. the book recounting his efforts to perform this task

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Etymology

Origin of Ezra

From Late Latin Ezras, ulimately from Hebrew ʿezrā “help”

Example Sentences

Cleveland 3, Taft 2: Ezra Preis had two hits and two RBIs for the Cavaliers.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

Chinese authorities are intimidating the legal team defending pastor Ezra Jin, whose October arrest drew U.S. government condemnation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Kial Garth Robinson, 29, of Littlehampton, was sentenced to 11 years in prison, while Piran Ezra Wilkinson, 48, from Chichester, was jailed for nine years.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

He holds the Ezra K. Zilkha Chair in the Brookings Institution’s Governance Studies Program, where he serves as a senior fellow.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

Did Ezra ever think that Janie was weird?

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold