monster

1 of 2

noun

mon·​ster ˈmän(t)-stər How to pronounce monster (audio)
plural monsters
1
a
: an animal of strange or terrifying shape
a mythical monster
a sea monster
… visualize this scaleless monster, eight or nine feet long, sprawling in the shade by the side of the mud pools …W. E. Swinton
b
: one unusually large for its kind
That truck is a monster.
That's why I was born in my grandmother's house—a grand, brick Federal monster of a house.John Irving
2
a
: an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure
b
: one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character
an immoral monster
3
: a threatening force
the same monster—Destiny … that rolls every civilization to doomW. L. Sullivan
4
: something monstrous
especially : a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty
a cruel monster of a father
5
: one that is highly successful
That movie was a monster at the box office.

monster

2 of 2

adjective

: enormous or impressive especially in size, extent, or numbers

Examples of monster in a Sentence

Noun That car is a monster. Inflation has become an economic monster. Adjective The movie turned out to be a monster hit.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Frankly, this is a hard argument to dispute, but the guy is ultimately the movie’s monster, so his ideology has to be sufficiently challenged by the time the credits roll. Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024 Hung was also instrumental in creating the jiangshi genre of horror kung fu in the 1980s, inspired by his childhood love of ghosts and monsters. Gavin J Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
Her strength is in creating atmosphere, a change of pace for a monster genre that frequently thrives on high-octane thrills. B.j. Colangelo, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2024 Could Hurricane Helene impact Indiana? Tropical Storm Helene has been churning in the western Caribbean and could emerge into a potentially monster hurricane, warn forecasters. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for monster 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English monstre, from Anglo-French, from Latin monstrum omen, monster, from monēre to warn — more at mind

Adjective

from atributive use of monster entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monster was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near monster

Cite this Entry

“Monster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monster. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

monster

1 of 2 noun
mon·​ster ˈmän(t)-stər How to pronounce monster (audio)
1
: an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure
2
: a strange or horrible creature
3
: something unusually large
4
: an extremely wicked or cruel person

monster

2 of 2 adjective
: very large : enormous

More from Merriam-Webster on monster

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