Jonah

American  

[joh-nuh] / ˈdʒoʊ nə /

noun

1. a Minor Prophet who, for his impiety, was thrown overboard from his ship and swallowed by a large fish, remaining in its belly for three days before being cast up onto the shore unharmed.

2. a book of the Bible bearing his name.

3. any person or thing regarded as bringing bad luck.

4. Also Jonas a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “dove.”

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Jonah British  

/ ˈdʒəʊnə, ˈdʒəʊnəs /

noun

1. Old Testament

   1. a Hebrew prophet who, having been thrown overboard from a ship in which he was fleeing from God, was swallowed by a great fish and vomited onto dry land

   2. the book in which his adventures are recounted

2. a person believed to bring bad luck to those around him; a jinx

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Other Word Forms

• Jonahesque adjective

Example Sentences

He’s traveling to Chicago to visit his cousin Jonah, and I admit to attending the national student-leadership camp.

From Literature

It was just like the boat that Dad used to have, that he took Jonah and me out fishing every weekend in, before it was awarded to Mom in the divorce.

From Literature

“The baton has been passed from print to the traditional web, and now from the traditional web to social,” BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti said at the time.

From MarketWatch

“We believe there is a gap between the value of our individual assets and our market capitalization that suggests significant unrecognized upside,” Chief Executive Jonah Peretti said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But Jonah’s there, of course, sitting at my lucky desk—close to the window and far from the too-strong air-conditioning vents and the too-noisy door.

From Literature

Related Words

• unlucky
• woeful