Riley
A surnameA surname.
» Tom's off on an exotic island somewhere, living the life of Riley.
Meaning
10 senses(countable)A surname.
A surname.
(countable, uncountable)A surname from Irish of Irish origin, a variant of Reilly.
(countable, uncountable)An English habitational surname from Old English, from Ryley in Lancashire (see Etymology above).
A unisex given name.
(countable, uncountable)A male given name transferred from the surname, of 19th century and later usage.
(countable, uncountable)A female given name from surname, of 1990s and later usage.
A placename
(countable, uncountable)A town in Riley Township, Vigo County, Indiana, United States.
(countable, uncountable)A town in Center Township, Hancock County, Indiana, United States.
(countable, uncountable)A number of townships in the United States, listed under Riley Township.
(countable, uncountable)A crater in Niobe Planitia, Venus.
(countable, uncountable)A manufacturer of British motorcars (1907-1969) named after William Riley Jr.
Examples
3 sentencesTom's off on an exotic island somewhere, living the life of Riley.
If there were no trans athletes, Riley Gaines still would have come in fifth.
If no trans women had ever existed, Riley Gaines would still have finished in fifth place.
Origin
* From Ryley in Lancashire, from Old English ryge (“rye”) + leah (“clearing, meadow”). Equ* From Ryley in Lancashire, from Old English ryge (“rye”) + leah (“clearing, meadow”). Equivalent to rye + -ley (“lea”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source