demon

noun

de·​mon ˈdē-mən 

variants or daemon

plural demons or daemons

1

a

: an evil spirit

angels and demons

b

: a source or agent of evil, harm, distress, or ruin

the demons of drug and alcohol addiction

confronting the demons of his childhood

2

usually daemon : an attendant (see attendant entry 2 sense 1) power or spirit : genius

3

usually daemon mythology : a supernatural being whose nature is intermediate between that of a god and that of a human being

4

: one that has exceptional enthusiasm, drive, or effectiveness

a demon for work

Doug, putting like a demon, had birdies on the third and sixth …

—Fred Tupper

5

daemon : a software program or process that runs in the background

A mailer daemon installed on an e-mail system can respond to a piece of incorrectly addressed e-mail by generating an automated message to the sender that the message was undeliverable.

—J. D. Biersdorfer

demonian

di-ˈmō-nē-ən 

adjective

Synonyms

• cacodemon
• devil
• fiend
• ghost
• ghoul
• ghoulie
• imp
• shaitan

Examples of demon in a Sentence

only in rare cases is the ancient rite of exorcism performed to cast out a troublesome demon

a man who was finally able to conquer his demons and kick his drug habit

Recent Examples on the Web

Director William Friedkin, working from William Peter Blatty’s source novel, crafted a slow-burn chamber piece about a precocious 12-year-old girl, Regan (Linda Blair), who is gradually overtaken by an ancient demon and battles a duo of Catholic priests in the climactic finale. —Erik Morse, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024

The finale of the film is a dizzying array of footage from Night Owls' final episode, including the gory consequences of summoning a demon who doesn't want to play, interspersed with scenes the audience isn't sure took place in real life on the show or inside Jack's mind. —Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024

In 1993, id released Doom, a first-person shooter about a husky space marine battling demons on the moons of Mars and in Hell. —Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

Others had previously tried and failed to settle in the area, which was said to be haunted by evil spirits and demons. —Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024

The original comic book was released in 1995 and centers around an angel that fell onto earth and fights demons and monsters along the way. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024

This time, the original Ghostbusters are all active players in the fight to stop the evil demon Garraka from ushering Earth into a second ice age. —EW.com, 24 Mar. 2024

The story begins when Tanjiro Kamado, a boy whose family is killed by a demon, joins the Demon Slayer Corps to turn his younger sister Nezuko back into a human. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024

When the sun and the moon alert Vishnu to this deception, Vishnu decapitates the demon — the head becomes Rahu and the body becomes Ketu. —Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "evil spirit," borrowed from Late Latin daemōn "evil spirit, pagan deity, idol," going back to Latin, "supernatural being, spirit intermediate between humans and gods," borrowed from Greek daimon-, daímōn "superhuman power, variably evil or beneficent, intervening in human affairs, fate" (Homeric), "personal spirit, bringing luck or ill, that accompanies an individual," "spirit intermediate between humans and gods" (Plato), "evil spirit" (New Testament), probably from dai-, stem of daíomai, daíesthai "to divide, allocate" + -mōn, deverbal noun and adjective suffix — more at tide entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing demon

• demon drink
• like a demon
• speed demon
• the demon drink

Kids Definition

demon

noun

de·​mon

variants or daemon

ˈdē-mən 

1

: an evil spirit

2

usually daemon : an accompanying power or spirit : genius

3

usually daemon : demigod sense 1

4

: one that has a lot of energy

a demon for work

demonic

di-ˈmän-ik

adjective