behemoth

noun

be·​he·​moth bi-ˈhē-məth  ˈbē-ə-məth 

-ˌmäth,

-ˌmȯth

often attributive

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

Did you know?

In the biblical book of Job, Behemoth is the name of a powerful grass-eating, river-dwelling beast with bones likened to bronze pipes and limbs likened to iron bars. Scholars have speculated that the biblical creature was inspired by the hippopotamus, but details about the creature’s exact nature are vague. The word first passed from the Hebrew word bĕhēmōth into Late Latin (the Latin used by writers in the third to sixth centuries), where, according to 15th century English poet and monk John Lydgate it referred to "a beast rude full of cursednesse." In modern English, behemoth functions as an evocative term for something of monstrous size, power, or appearance.

Synonyms

• giant
• whale
• monster
• dinosaur
• mammoth

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 on the Web

The facility is a former behemoth PG&E natural gas power plant that was originally built in 1950 across from Moss Landing Harbor and was known for its 500-foot-tall smokestacks. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025

But analysts say Apple has bigger concerns, such as its future product strategy and approach to artificial intelligence, a burgeoning field that the tech behemoth is perceived to be behind in. —Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025

The French luxury behemoth was last seen trading 2.5% higher, paring earlier gains, after its first-half earnings came in above estimates on Thursday evening. —Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 25 July 2025

Azure generates around 2/3 the revenue that AWS does, while Google Cloud registers less than half the annual revenue of Amazon’s cloud behemoth. —Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin, from Hebrew bĕhēmōth

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

behemoth

noun

be·​he·​moth bi-ˈhē-məth  ˈbē-ə-ˌməth 

-ˌmäth,

-ˌmȯth

1

often capitalized : an animal described in the Bible that is probably the hippopotamus

2

: something of monstrous size or power