John Davison Rockefeller john·da·vi·sonrockefeller uncommon noun 1. United States industrialist who made a fortune in the oil business and gave half of it away (1839-1937) SynonymsRockefellerJohn D. RockefellerJohn Davison Rockefeller Related words Broader terms industrialistphilanthropist WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.