leviathan
noun
le·vi·a·than
li-ˈvī-ə-thən 
1
a
often capitalized
: a sea monster defeated by Yahweh in various scriptural accounts
b
: a large sea animal
this leviathan of animals is the great Blue Whale—
Weston LaBarre
Weston LaBarre2
capitalized
: the political state
especially
: a totalitarian state having a vast bureaucracy
3
: something large or formidable
that leviathan of international corporations
leviathan
adjective
Did you know?
Old Testament references to a huge sea monster, Leviathan (in Hebrew, Liwyāthān), are thought to come from an ancient myth in which the god Baal slays a multiheaded sea monster. Leviathan appears in the Book of Psalms, as a sea serpent that is killed by God and then given as food to creatures in the wilderness, and it is mentioned in the Book of Job as well. Today, its name is used for "something monstrous or of enormous size."
Examples of leviathan in a Sentence
The factory is a towering leviathan in the middle of the town.
a leviathan of the seas, that cruise ship is said to be the largest passenger vessel afloat
Recent Examples on the Web
But in the last four years, the agency has veered off track—doubling in size and turning into a sprawling leviathan plagued by mission creep, financial mismanagement, and waste.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
The remainder of the episode is dedicated to the war for the Yellowstone — the limping leviathan that will define and/or destroy every last Dutton life.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
But in recent years those venues have been squeezed by multinational live-entertainment leviathans like Live Nation and AEG, and many were forced to close when the Covid pandemic shut down the touring world for months or, in many cases, more than a year.
—Mark Sutherland, Variety, 5 Mar. 2025
The remainder of the episode is dedicated to the war for the Yellowstone — the limping leviathan that will define and/or destroy every last Dutton life.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leviathan
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Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
The remainder of the episode is dedicated to the war for the Yellowstone — the limping leviathan that will define and/or destroy every last Dutton life.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
But in recent years those venues have been squeezed by multinational live-entertainment leviathans like Live Nation and AEG, and many were forced to close when the Covid pandemic shut down the touring world for months or, in many cases, more than a year.
—Mark Sutherland, Variety, 5 Mar. 2025
The remainder of the episode is dedicated to the war for the Yellowstone — the limping leviathan that will define and/or destroy every last Dutton life.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leviathan
Cite this Entry
“Leviathan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leviathan. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
leviathan
noun
le·vi·a·than
li-ˈvī-ə-thən
1
often capitalized
: a sea monster often standing for evil in the Old Testament and Christian literature
2
: something very large or powerful of its kind
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