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 of demon

• ghost
• ghoul
• devil
• vampire
• nightmare

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

Kitana joins our heroes, secretly undermining her adoptive demon father Shao Kahn. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 May 2026

Shirokawa, meanwhile, was a demon on defense, recording four assists on routine-to-difficult grounders and an acrobatic layout for a diving catch of a line drive. —Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026

The demon’s toot in Dante’s Inferno In canto 21, in some literal circle of hell or other, the poet sees a troop of demons sticking their tongues out as a signal to their head honcho. —Literary Hub, 4 May 2026

So, instead of looking to exercise some demons from their recent past, the Avs will have the opportunity to get payback for ones from further back in the club’s history. —Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 2 May 2026

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

Rhymes for demon

• beeman
• daemon
• leman
• niemann
• seaman
• seamen
• semen
• enginemen

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