monster
Americannoun
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a nonhuman creature so ugly or monstrous as to frighten people.
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any creature grotesquely deviating from the normal shape, behavior, or character.
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a person who provokes or elicits horror by wickedness, cruelty, etc.
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any animal or thing huge in size.
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a legendary animal combining features of animal and human form or having the forms of various animals in combination, as a centaur, griffin, or sphinx.
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Biology.
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an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure, as from marked malformation or the absence of certain parts or organs.
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a grossly anomalous fetus or infant, especially one that is not viable.
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anything unnatural or monstrous.
adjective
noun
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an imaginary beast, such as a centaur, usually made up of various animal or human parts
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a person, animal, or plant with a marked structural deformity
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a cruel, wicked, or inhuman person
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a very large person, animal, or thing
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( as modifier )
a monster cake
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verb
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informal to criticize (a person or group) severely
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sport to use intimidating tactics against (an opponent)
Other Word Forms
- monsterlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of monster
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English monstre, from Latin mōnstrum “portent, unnatural event, monster,” from mon(ēre) “to warn” + -strum, noun suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After topping the charts at home and abroad with her monster hit "Man I Need" and lauded album "The Art of Loving", the 26-year-old dominated the star-studded awards ceremony at the city's Co-op Live arena.
From Barron's
Originally inspired by traditional summer insect hunts in Japan, gameplay usually involves capturing and training fantastical "pocket monsters" resembling anything from mice to dragons, before sending them into battle against one another.
From Barron's
Pokémon has always been about playing the part of a trainer, catching and collecting monsters before battling them against others.
From BBC
Both now understood that fame was a two-faced monster.
From Literature
He called her a "monster" and denied having a physical relationship with her.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
