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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
The first major update, aptly titled Title Update 1, is set to be released later this week, and brings new monsters, new activities, and more for players of the game. Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025 White Painted Woman was a model of heroism and honorable womanhood: When evil monsters were hunting the Apache people, the White Painted Woman gave birth to a son who would destroy the creatures to help make Earth inhabitable for humanity. Alejandra Rubio, NPR, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Well, that's what some people are doing for this monster doll from China called Labubu. Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025 Leveraged and inverse ETFs give investors the opportunity to make monster bets on the stock market’s direction. Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Monster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monster. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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