David

plural Davids

1. countableuncountableA male given name from Hebrew.

   David Baszucki created it ten years ago along with his cofounder Erik Cassel, and it’s gradually snowballed in popularity, particularly among kids and teenagers.

   2016 October 12, Andy Orin, “I'm David Baszucki, CEO of Roblox, and This Is How I Work”, in LifeHacker, archived from the original on 13 Jul 2024

   3 more examples

   David Copperfield. Dwight David Eisenhower. Michelangelo's David. None of these Davids would seem the same if their names were Dave. David, with its final "d", sounds finished and complete, whereas Dave just kind of hangs there in the air, indefinitely.

   1994, Caroline Knapp, The Merry Recluse: A Life in Essays, Counterpoint Press, published 2004, →ISBN, page 169

   Well, don't think I'll settle for so little, Mr. Talbot. Or should I call you David? I think you look like a David, you know, righteous and clean living and all of that.

   2000, Anne Rice, Merrick, Ballantine Books, published 2001, →ISBN, page 157

   Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg called on Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Thursday to denounce Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has faced intense criticism this week over incendiary remarks she made in recent years as well as a viral video in which she harasses Hogg.

   2021 January 28, Chandelis Duster, “Parkland shooting survivor calls for House GOP leader to denounce Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene”, in CNN, archived from the original on 18 Apr 2021

2. countableuncountablebiblicalThe second king of Judah and Israel, the successor of King Saul in the Hebrew Bible; the son of Jesse and the father of Nathan and King Solomon.

   It appears that even David can't go to battle without his Googliath.

   2009 May 31, Margareta Pagano, “David takes on Googliath for a slice of the profits in the online shopping world”, in The Independent, archived from the original on 06 Mar 2012

   2 more examples

   David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Samuel 23:1-2

   Some devout Christians are among the most fervent advocates of the death penalty, contradicting Jesus Christ and misinterpreting Holy Scriptures and numerous examples of mercy. We remember God’s forgiveness of Cain, who killed Abel, and the adulterer King David, who arranged the killing of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, his lover.

   2014, Jimmy Carter, “Full Prisons and Legal Killing”, in A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 39

3. countableuncountableA surname originating as a patronymic common in Wales, in honor of the ancient Saint David of Wales.
4. countablerareuncountableA female given name, often combined with a feminine middle name (e.g. David Ann).
5. A place name:
   1. countableuncountableA city, the capital of Chiriquí province, Panama.
   2. countableuncountableA former unincorporated community in Mitchell County, Iowa, United States.
   3. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community and coal town in Floyd County, Kentucky, United States.
   4. countableuncountableA barangay of Mangaldan, Pangasinan, Philippines.
   5. countableuncountableA barangay of San Jose, Tarlac, Philippines.

plural Davids

1. figurativelyA person or group considered unlikely to prevail; an underdog.

   Coordinate term: Goliath

   4 more examples

   But the essential forces were the American immigrant, the American missionary, the Declaration of Independence, and the ox-team. Those were the champions of America. They were the Davids against the Goliaths of British monopoly.

   1909, William Denison Lyman, The Columbia River: Its History, Its Myths, Its Scenery, Its Commerce, G. P. Putnam's Sons, page 185

   Will Microsoft rule the alternative to the mass media, the Net? Or, as always before in history, will local Davids arise to challenge the global Goliaths?

   1997, Nathan Gardels, editor, The Changing Global Order: World Leaders Reflect, Blackwell Publishers, →ISBN, page 191

   In their quest for a villain, the media were assisted by politicians who wanted to avoid being put into the slot themselves. On the contrary, they wanted to be portrayed as the underdogs, the democratic Davids fighting the valiant but ultimately hopeless battle against the financial Goliaths.

   2001, Adam Harmes, Unseen Power, Stoddart Publishing, →ISBN, page 144

   Our strategy to engage eBay in a war of words had created a lot of media buzz within China. Positioning ourselves as a local David fighting the US Goliath, we intended to educate the market about e-commerce and attract people to Taobao to give consumer e-commerce a chance.

   2015, Porter Erisman, Alibaba's World: How a Remarkable Chinese Company is Changing the Face of Global Business, Palgrave Macmillan, →ISBN, page 104

   Synonyms: little man