Priestley

American  

[preest-lee] / ˈprist li /

noun

1. J(ohn) B(oynton) 1894–1984, English novelist.

2. Joseph, 1733–1804, English chemist, author, and clergyman.

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Priestley British  

/ ˈpriːstlɪ /

noun

1. J ( ohn ) B ( oynton ). 1894–1984, English author. His works include the novels The Good Companions (1929) and Angel Pavement (1930) and the play An Inspector Calls (1946)

2. Joseph. 1733–1804, English chemist, political theorist, and clergyman, in the US from 1794. He discovered oxygen (1774) independently of Scheele and isolated and described many other gases

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Priestley Scientific  

/ prēst′lē /

1. British chemist who discovered oxygen (1774) and 10 other gases, including hydrogen chloride, sulphur dioxide, and ammonia.

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Example Sentences

Hu went to view the flat in person and felt he and Priestley had a rapport.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Then Priestley told Hu that his father had died, so he could no longer move into the flat.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Dr. Priestley said: "This was a really fun project to work on in my PhD, and I hope this research brings more attention to the importance of sugars in the immune system."

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

Viewers might remember the scene where Meryl Streep’s fashion magazine editrix Miranda Priestley purses her lips at one of the ugliest dresses she’s seen in years, during a preview of a designer’s new collection.

From Salon • Sep. 17, 2025

The Priestley letter was “a confidential communication” that was “never meant to trouble the public mind.”

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis