behemoth

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noun, often attributive be·he·moth \ bi-ˈhē-məth , ˈbē-ə-məth , -ˌmäth , -ˌmȯth \

Definition of behemoth

1 often capitalized, religion :a mighty animal described in Job 40:15–24 as an example of the power of God

2 :something of monstrous size, power, or appearance

a behemoth truck

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Examples of behemoth in a Sentence

the newest SUV is a gas-guzzling behemoth that doesn't even fit in a standard parking space

Recent Examples of behemoth from the Web

A behemoth tomahawk chop—for sharing—comes to the table as the coup de grâce.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
Alibaba is already a behemoth in e-commerce and is investing billions to become number one in cloud computing.

— The Economist, "The algorithm kingdomChina may match or beat America in AI," 15 July 2017
But even with expanded running times, the unavoidable fact is that the behemoth HBO series will come to a close sometime soon.

— vanityfair.com, "Is Aidan Gillen the Most Misunderstood Man in Westeros?," 14 July 2017
The FBI has complained that the blocky, concrete behemoth — named for the agency’s first and longest-serving director — is obsolete, inefficient and no longer meets the needs of an organization that has grown dramatically in the last 40 years.

— sadie gurman, The Seattle Times, "Government scraps search for new FBI headquarters," 11 July 2017
And increasingly, these two behemoths are starting to collide in various markets, from smartphones to home-audio devices to, according to speculation, automobiles.

— mihir a. desai, The Atlantic, "Capitalism the Apple Way vs. Capitalism the Google Way," 10 July 2017
Niche craft brands are stealing share from traditional beverage behemoths, as customers hunt for something that feels special.

— elizabeth holmes, WSJ, "Target Rejiggers Brands to Lure Shoppers," 1 July 2017
But not everyone is ready to commit to a 500-gallon backyard behemoth—or has the welding skills to build one from scratch.

— alyson sheppard, Esquire, "Texas' Best PitMaster Shares His Tips for the Perfect Barbecued Meat," 30 June 2017
Some of the ice walls spewed milky waterfalls as the behemoths slowly melted and crept inexorably toward their demise in the frigid ocean water.

— doug hansen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Cruising around Cape Horn is South American adventure," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'behemoth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The original behemoth was biblical; it designated a mysterious river-dwelling beast in the Book of Job. Based on that description, scholars have concluded that the biblical behemoth was probably inspired by a hippopotamus, but details about the creature's exact nature were vague. The word first passed from the Hebrew into Late Latin, where, according to English poet and monk John Lydgate, writing in 1430, it "playne expresse[d] a beast rude full of cursednesse." In English, behemoth was eventually applied more generally to anything large and powerful.