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Moses

1 American  
[moh-ziz, -zis] / ˈmoʊ zɪz, -zɪs /

noun

  1. the Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt and delivered the Law during their years of wandering in the wilderness.

  2. a male given name.

Moses 2 American  
[moh-ziz, -zis] / ˈmoʊ zɪz, -zɪs /

noun

  1. Anna Mary Robertson Grandma Moses, 1860–1961, U.S. painter.

  2. Robert, 1888–1981, U.S. public official: New York City Commissioner of Parks 1934–60.

Moses British  
/ ˈməʊzɪz /

noun

  1. Old Testament the Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land and gave them divinely revealed laws

  2. Ed. born 1956, US hurdler; winner of the 400 m hurdles in the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games

  3. Grandma, real name Anna Mary Robertson Moses. 1860–1961, US painter of primitives, who began to paint at the age of 75

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Moses Cultural  

  1. The great leader, lawgiver, and prophet of the ancient Israelites (Hebrews). According to the Old Testament, Moses was born in Egypt (see also Egypt), where the Hebrews were living as slaves. When Moses was an infant, the Egyptian ruler, or pharaoh, ordered all the male children of the Hebrews slain. Moses' mother placed him in a small boat made of bulrushes and hid him in a marsh, where he was found by the daughter of the pharaoh, who adopted him. When Moses was a grown man, he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew and had to flee Egypt to escape punishment. One day, while Moses was living in exile, God spoke to him from a burning bush, commanding him to return to Egypt and bring the Hebrews out of bondage. Moses went back to Egypt and told the pharaoh of God's command; when the pharaoh refused to release the Hebrews from slavery, God sent the plagues of Egypt to afflict the Egyptians. The pharaoh finally relented, and Moses led his people out of Egypt across the Red Sea, on the journey that became known as the Exodus. Shortly afterward, Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. Moses and his people wandered in the wilderness for forty years; then, just as they came within sight of the Promised Land, Moses died.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Trial judge Mr Justice Moses handed Huntley two life terms and ruled that he would serve a minimum of 40 years in prison before being considered for release.

From BBC

All the adoptive-parents books Jonah had ever seen acted like there was one commandment Moses had forgotten to bring down from Mount Sinai: tell adopted kids the truth.

From Literature

Julius Erving led the Philadelphia 76ers to victory after victory, but adding Moses Malone won the team a championship.

From The Wall Street Journal

The truth, as Luke Epplin argues in “Moses and the Doctor: Two Men, One Championship, and the Birth of Modern Basketball,” was more complicated.

From The Wall Street Journal

Four Kenyans -- Victor, Mark, Erik and Moses -- recounted to AFP the web of deception that took them to the killing fields of Ukraine.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.