Idiom
David and Goliath
Meaning
A contest in which a much weaker underdog faces a far stronger opponent.
Examples
“It was a David and Goliath match, and the smaller team won.”
“The lawsuit was a David and Goliath fight: one injured worker against a company with limitless lawyers.”
“What looked like a hopeless David and Goliath contest turned on a single overlooked document, and the tiny firm brought the conglomerate to a settlement.”
Examples
simple
“It was a David and Goliath match, and the smaller team won.”
contextual
“The lawsuit was a David and Goliath fight: one injured worker against a company with limitless lawyers.”
complex
“What looked like a hopeless David and Goliath contest turned on a single overlooked document, and the tiny firm brought the conglomerate to a settlement.”
Origin
The story is told in 1 Samuel 17. The armies of Israel and the Philistines face each other across a valley, and the Philistines send out their champion, Goliath — a giant in bronze armour who taunts the Israelites daily. No soldier will fight him. Then David, a shepherd boy too small even to wear armour, volunteers.
He refuses a sword, takes five smooth stones and a sling, and kills the giant with a single shot to the forehead before Goliath can close the distance. The detail matters: David wins not by matching Goliath's strength but by fighting on his own terms.
That is why the phrase endures. A David-and-Goliath struggle is any contest between a small, outmatched underdog and a powerful favourite — a local shop against a retail chain, a tiny nation against an empire — with the quiet implication that the giant can still be brought down.
Stories
Kings & Prophets · See all Biblical origin
The rise and fall of kings and the warnings of the prophets.
the writing on the wall — A clear sign that something, especially failure or disaster, is on its way.
feet of clay — In someone apparently strong and without failings, a hidden weakness which could lead to downfall.
a drop in the bucket — A quantity so small it is negligible next to what is actually needed.
a leopard cannot change its spots — People rarely change their fundamental nature, however much they may seem to.
how the mighty have fallen — A remark on the dramatic downfall of someone once powerful or admired.
a still small voice — A quiet inner prompting of conscience or intuition.
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated