SAMSON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

• SAMSON (noun)
  The noun SAMSON has 2 senses:

1. (Old Testament) a judge of Israel who performed herculean feats of strength against the Philistines until he was betrayed to them by his mistress Delilah

2. a large and strong and heavyset man

  Familiarity information: SAMSON used as a noun is rare.

• SAMSON (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(Old Testament) a judge of Israel who performed herculean feats of strength against the Philistines until he was betrayed to them by his mistress Delilah

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Instance hypernyms:

judge; jurist; justice (a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court of justice)

Domain category:

Old Testament (the collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A large and strong and heavyset man

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

bruiser; bull; Samson; strapper

Context example:

a thick-skinned bruiser ready to give as good as he got

Hypernyms ("Samson" is a kind of...):

adult male; man (an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman))

 Context examples 

By whom, Sir Samson the strong?

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I long to exert a fraction of Samson's strength, and break the entanglement like tow!

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

She held so tight to him, in fact, that the officers were obliged to take 'em both together. She gave her evidence in the gamest way, and was highly complimented by the Bench, and cheered right home to her lodgings. She said in Court that she'd have took him single-handed (on account of what she knew concerning him), if he had been Samson.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The caged eagle, whose gold-ringed eyes cruelty has extinguished, might look as looked that sightless Samson.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

I was thinking, sir (you will excuse the idea; it was involuntary), I was thinking of Hercules and Samson with their charmers—You were, you little elfish—Hush, sir!

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)