1
: a person who reigns over a kingdom or empire: such as
a
: a sovereign ruler
b
: a constitutional (see constitutional entry 1 sense 3) king or queen
2
: one that holds preeminent position or power
cotton, monarch of the textile world—
Wall Street Journal
Wall Street JournalExamples of monarch in a Sentence
a new history of French monarchs
the ruling monarch of Britain at that time was Queen Elizabeth I
Recent Examples on the Web
As with the European monarchs or the Roman emperors, the success of the Chinese emperors varied considerably, with some reigning over peace and prosperity and some seeming to preside over - or even instigate - tumult and war.
—Frank Lavin, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
King Charles can't get involved in Prince Harry's security woes: author
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of ‘My Mother and I,’ explains why the monarch is too exhausted to deal with his younger son’s ongoing court battle.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2025
In October of that year, the Hindu monarch of the Muslim-majority princely state of Kashmir acceded to India, but Pakistan laid claim to the territory and sought to take it by military force.
—Zia Ur-Rehman, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
In death, however, the 19th-century Habsburg monarch has joined a long list of historical women reimagined in 21st-century popular culture as feminist heroines—much to some historians’ chagrin.
—Elizabeth Djinis, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for monarch
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Frank Lavin, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
King Charles can't get involved in Prince Harry's security woes: author
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of ‘My Mother and I,’ explains why the monarch is too exhausted to deal with his younger son’s ongoing court battle.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2025
In October of that year, the Hindu monarch of the Muslim-majority princely state of Kashmir acceded to India, but Pakistan laid claim to the territory and sought to take it by military force.
—Zia Ur-Rehman, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
In death, however, the 19th-century Habsburg monarch has joined a long list of historical women reimagined in 21st-century popular culture as feminist heroines—much to some historians’ chagrin.
—Elizabeth Djinis, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for monarch
Cite this Entry
“Monarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarch. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
monarch
noun
mon·arch
ˈmän-ərk 
-ˌärk
1
: a person who reigns over a kingdom or empire: as
a
: a ruler who has total power
absolute monarch
b
: someone who acts primarily as chief of state and who has only limited powers
constitutional monarch
2
: someone or something like a monarch
the oak is the monarch of the forest
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