Ishmael

American  

[ish-mee-uhl, -mey-] / ˈɪʃ mi əl, -meɪ- /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the son of Abraham and Hagar: both he and Hagar were cast out of Abraham's family by Sarah.

2. any outcast.

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Ishmael British  

/ ˈɪʃmeɪəl /

noun

1. the son of Abraham and Hagar, Sarah's handmaid: the ancestor of 12 Arabian tribes (Genesis 21:8–21; 25:12–18)

2. a bandit chieftain, who defied the Babylonian conquerors of Judah and assassinated the governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar (II Kings 25:25; Jeremiah 40:13–41:18)

3. rare an outcast

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Etymology

Origin of Ishmael

From Hebrew Yishmāʿēl “God will hear”

Compare meaning

How does ishmael compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Ishmael vs. Isaac

Example Sentences

British light-middleweight Ishmael Davis took two successive late replacement fights in 2024, one at Wembley Stadium and one in Riyadh, and has now lost three in a row.

From BBC • Oct. 11, 2025

From the canon, not just Thoreau but also Melville’s Ishmael sought a change of scene when life became too much; more recent examples might include Chris McCandless in “Into the Wild” and memoirist Cheryl Strayed.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2025

Ishmael Daro, an editor at Democracy Now!, made a tongue-in-cheek prediction that the reaction from the U.S. political establishment would be similar this time.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2024

An early one involves the choreographer Ishmael Houston-Jones, whose work “Relatives” Mullins lit in 1982.

From New York Times • May 6, 2024

At ten minutes before nine that morning, Ishmael had spoken with the accused man’s wife on the second floor of the Island County Courthouse.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson