Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Ephraim

noun Ephra·im \ ˈē-frē-əm \

Definition of Ephraim

: a son of Joseph and the traditional eponymous ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel

Origin and Etymology of ephraim

Hebrew Ephrayim

Ephraim

geographical name Ephra·im \ ˈē-frē-əm \

Definition of Ephraim

1 or Mount Ephraim hilly region of ancient Palestine; now in the West Bank
2 — see israel 2

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up Ephraim? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

halcyon

play

peaceful, happy, or prosperous

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. ideologue 'an often blindly partisan advocate or adherent of a particular ideology'

  2. socialism 'a way of organizing a society in which major industries are owned and controlled by the government'

  3. uphold 'to let stand'

  4. due process 'a course of formal proceedings (as judicial proceedings)'

  5. asylum 'protection from arrest and extradition given especially to political refugees'

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Ephraim

Test Your Vocabulary

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

  • test-your-emoji-exceptionalism-written-with-a-lot-of-emoji
  • What is this emoji intended to represent: 🤳
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games