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The original Croesus was a 6th-century B.C. king of Lydia, an ancient kingdom in what is now Turkey. Croesus conquered many surrounding regions, grew very wealthy, and became the subject of legends. In one legend, he was visited by Solon, the wise Athenian lawgiver. (Historians say this isn't chronologically possible, but it makes a good story.) Solon supposedly told Croesus, who thought he had everything: "Account no man happy before his death." These words made Croesus angry, and he threw the lawmaker out of his court. Croesus would rethink Solon's pronouncement later when his empire was overthrown by the Persians. Croesus' name shows up in the phrase "rich as Croesus," meaning "filthy rich," and it has also entered English as a generic term for someone extremely wealthy.
Examples of Croesus in a Sentence
Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
Manners is the founder and former Chairman of Croesus Mining, a major gold producer, among a myriad of pursuits that includes his role as Chairman of the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation, a libertarian think tank.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Elsa’s father, Ferdinando, was as rich as Croesus but, scandalized by his daughter turning her back on the family’s prim, conservative ways, left her to make a living for herself.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 5 Aug. 2024
As long as the boom proceeded, successful traders became as rich as Croesus.
—Alan S. Blinder, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2015
Toyota, with more money than Croesus and more engineers than MIT, ran an F1 team from 2002 to 2009, reportedly spending hundreds of millions of dollars.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 17 Feb. 2024
The Lydian king Croesus frequently consulted the oracle at Delphi when formulating his bets on chariot races.
—Evan Allgood, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Croesus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Croesus. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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