Williams

UK: /ˈwɪljəmz/ US: (wil′yəmz)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

Wil•liams  (wil′yəmz), n. 

Ben Ames  (āmz), 1889–1953, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
1. Biographical Bert (Egbert Austin Williams), 1876?–1922, U.S. comedian and songwriter.
Betty (Smyth)  (smith), born 1943, Northern Irish peace activist: Nobel peace prize 1976.
2. Biographical Daniel Hale, 1858–1931, U.S. surgeon and educator: performed first successful heart surgery 1893.
Em•lyn  (em′lin), born 1905, Welsh playwright and actor. G. Men•nen  (men′ən), born 1911, U.S. politician and diplomat.
3. Biographical Hank, 1923–53, U.S. country-and-western singer, musician, and composer.
4. Biographical Ralph Vaughan. See Vaughan Williams, Ralph. 
5. Biographical Roger, 1603?–83, English clergyman in America: founder of Rhode Island colony 1636.
6. Biographical Tennessee (Thomas Lanier Williams), 1911–83, U.S. dramatist.
7. Biographical Theodore Samuel (Ted), born 1918, U.S. baseball player.
8. Biographical William, 1731–1811, U.S. merchant and revolutionary statesman.

William Car•los  (kär′lōs), 1883–1963, U.S. poet and novelist.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Williams / ˈwɪljəmz/ noun

1. Hank, real name Hiram Williams. 1923–53, US country singer and songwriter. His songs (all 1948–52) include "Jambalaya", "Your Cheatin' Heart", and "Why Don't you Love me (like you Used to Do?)"
2. John. born 1941, Australian classical guitarist, living in Britain
3. John (Towner). born 1932, US composer of film music; his scores include those for Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. (1982), Schindler's List (1993), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
5. Raymond (Henry). 1921–88, British literary critic and novelist, noted esp for such works as Culture and Society (1958) and The Long Revolution (1961), which offer a socialist analysis of the relationship between society and culture
6. Robbie, full name Robert Peter Williams. born 1974, British pop singer and songwriter. A member of Take That (1990–95; 2010–12), he found solo success with "Angels" (1997) and the albums Life Thru a Lens (1997), Swing When You're Winning (2001), and Escapology (2002)
7. Robin (McLaurin). 1951–2014, US film actor and comedian; films include Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets' Society (1989), Mrs Doubtfire (1993), and Insomnia (2002)
8. Rowan (Douglas), Baron. born 1950, Archbishop of Canterbury (2002–2012); Archbishop of Wales (2000–02)
9. Serena. born 1981, US tennis player, sister of Venus Williams: she won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, including the Australian Open seven times, Wimbledon seven times, and the US Open six times
10. Tennessee, real name Thomas Lanier Williams. 1911–83, US dramatist. His plays include The Glass Menagerie (1944), A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), and Night of the Iguana (1961)
11. Venus. born 1980, US tennis player: winner of seven Grand Slam singles titles, including Wimbledon five times (2000–01, 2005, 2007–08); with her sister Serena she won thirteen Grand Slam doubles titles
12. William Carlos ( ˈkɑːləs ). 1883–1963, US poet, who formulated the poetic concept "no ideas but in things". His works include Paterson (1946–58), which explores the daily life of a man living in a modern city, and the prose work In the American Grain (1925)