Hebrew

noun

He·​brew ˈhē-(ˌ)brü 

1

a

: the Semitic language of the ancient Hebrews

b

: any of various later forms of this language

2

: a member of or descendant from one of a group of northern Semitic peoples including the Israelites

especially : israelite

Hebrew adjective

Examples of Hebrew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In July 2023, access-control doors acquired through the grant program prevented a gunman from entering Margolin Hebrew Academy in Memphis. —Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 20 Mar. 2025

In 2022, Unilever sold its intellectual property rights to its Israeli distributor, which then put the products (with Hebrew and Arabic labeling only) back on shelves in the West Bank. Ben & Jerry's then sued Unilever, accusing it of bypassing its board with business decisions. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 20 Mar. 2025

Gal Gadot addressed her family in Hebrew and spoke about growing up in Israel at a ceremony on March 18 to unveil her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. —Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025

As Ruth Wisse points out in her study of Sholem Aleichem in The Modern Jewish Canon, all of his contemporaries writing on the same topic, in Yiddish or Hebrew or a non-Jewish language, more or less side with the rebels. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Ebreu, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin Hebraeus, from Latin, adjective, from Greek Hebraios, from Aramaic ʽEbrai

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing Hebrew

• Late Hebrew
• Modern Hebrew
• Rabbinic Hebrew

Kids Definition

Hebrew

noun

He·​brew ˈhē-(ˌ)brü 

1

: a member of one of a group of northern Semitic peoples including the Israelites

especially : israelite

2

: the Semitic language of the Hebrews

Hebraic

hi-ˈbrā-ik

adjective

Hebrew adjective