Word
noah
Phoneticsnoah
/ˈnoʊə/
Definitions
01religious figure
n. a man in religious stories who built a large boat (an ark) to save his family and animals from a great flood.
n. the patriarch in Abrahamic traditions who constructed an ark to survive the Deluge.
“In the story, Noah took two of every animal onto his boat.”
“The narrative of Noah and the ark is a foundational flood myth shared across several major world religions.”
02given name
n. a common name for a boy.
n. a popular masculine given name of Hebrew origin.
“Noah was the most popular name for baby boys in the city last year.”
“The registrar noted that Noah has remained a top-ten choice for parents for over a decade.”
03a shark
n. a slang word for a shark.
n. rhyming slang for 'shark', derived from 'Noah's ark'.
“The surfers stayed out of the water because someone spotted a Noah near the beach.”
“Local fishermen warned the tourists about the presence of a large Noah patrolling the reef.”
Slang · Dialect · British English · American English
Usage
Usually used with the definite article 'the'.
Teaching tip
This is a form of rhyming slang; while it originated in Australia, it is understood in various coastal English-speaking communities but remains very informal.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Biblical Hebrew נֹחַ (nóakh, nṓaḥ).
From Biblical Hebrew נֹעָה (no`áh).
Abbreviation of Australian rhyming slang Noah's ark (“shark”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/noah