Goliath

American  

[guh-lahy-uhth] / gəˈlaɪ əθ /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the giant warrior of the Philistines whom David killed with a stone from a sling.

2. Usually goliath a giant.

3. Usually goliath a very large, powerful, or influential person or thing.

   a neighborhood grocery competing against the supermarket goliaths.

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Goliath British  

/ ɡəˈlaɪəθ /

noun

1. Old Testament a Philistine giant from Gath who terrorized the Hebrews until he was killed by David with a stone from his sling (I Samuel 17)

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Etymology

Origin of Goliath

Ultimately from Hebrew Gōlyāth, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

The beauty of the Six Nations is the consistency with which David fells Goliath.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

Apple’s purchasing power and expertise in designing advanced electronics long made it an unrivaled Goliath among the Asian companies that make most of the iPhone’s parts and assemble the device.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

It was in this room that Karl outlined to Angela his plan for the Goliath Expedition, supported by his father, Keith, a former SAS soldier.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025

Halfway through the movie, to ward off full-scale war with the Philistines, David volunteers to engage in single combat with the enemy’s champion: an oversize fellow named Goliath.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

All we knew was that suddenly Goliath was on the floor writhing and screaming, and his right foot looked all wrong, and the Sun Valley coaches and trainer and players were sprinting across the floor.

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli