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 monarch, Charles is the supreme governor of the Church of England, a role established in the 16th century when King Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church.
—Muvija M, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
William is prepared to be a monarch committed to change and modernity.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
Remarkably, 12 European countries are still ruled by monarchs—nearly one-third the world’s total—many of them small nations like Denmark and Monaco.
—Vivienne Walt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
William, 43, has been supportive of his father following Buckingham Palace’s announcement in Febuary 2024 that the monarch was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for monarch
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Muvija M, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
William is prepared to be a monarch committed to change and modernity.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
Remarkably, 12 European countries are still ruled by monarchs—nearly one-third the world’s total—many of them small nations like Denmark and Monaco.
—Vivienne Walt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
William, 43, has been supportive of his father following Buckingham Palace’s announcement in Febuary 2024 that the monarch was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 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 7 Oct. 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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