Definition of monster
1a : an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure a mythical monster a sea monsterb : one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character an immoral monster
2 : a threatening force the same monster — Destiny … that rolls every civilization to doom — W. L. Sullivan
3a : an animal of strange or terrifying shape visualize this scaleless monster, eight or nine feet long, sprawling in the shade by the side of the mud pools — W. E. Swintonb : one unusually large for its kind That truck is a monster.
4 : something monstrous; especially : a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty His father was a monster who beat his children for no reason.
5 : one that is highly successful That movie was a monster at the box office.
From the M-W Editors
Examples of monster in a Sentence
That car is a monster.
Inflation has become an economic monster.
Recent Examples of monster from the Web
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But the government’s response is to create even bigger monsters.
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The House’s health-care bill, briefly left for dead on account of its inhumanity, was resurrected like Frankenstein’s monster and given enough cosmetic tweaks to get to 217 votes.
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And based on Netflix's simultaneous teaser this morning, the monsters in season 2 are going to be significantly bigger (and stranger).
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Musa Jallow, Bloomington North: The 6-5 Jallow is coming off a monster junior season that saw him average 24.1 points and 9.5 rebounds and earn a core spot on the Junior All-Star team.
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And one section of the lyrics seems to directly address the rumors of infidelity (and then forgiveness) that were tied to Beyoncé's monster (and full of multitudes) fifth album Lemonade.
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In addition to the monster steak, there are two other sized-for-two entrees.
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Monster trucks, Moto X, The Human Cannonball, aaaaannd fireworks.
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The seventh season of American Horror Story will be down one monster — the Mother Monster, that is: Lady Gaga will not be returning for the latest season of Ryan Murphy's hit show, despite rumors to the contrary.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'monster.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of monster
Middle English monstre, from Anglo-French, from Latin monstrum omen, monster, from monēre to warn — more at mind
monster
Definition of monster
: enormous or impressive especially in size, extent, or numbers
Examples of monster in a Sentence
The movie turned out to be a monster hit.
Origin and Etymology of monster
see 1monster
MONSTER Defined for English Language Learners
monster
playDefinition of monster for English Language Learners
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: a strange or horrible imaginary creature
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: something that is extremely or unusually large
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: a powerful person or thing that cannot be controlled and that causes many problems
monster
Definition of monster for English Language Learners
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: very popular and successful
MONSTER Defined for Kids
monster
playDefinition of monster for Students
1 : a strange or horrible creature
2 : something unusually large
3 : an extremely wicked or cruel person
Medical Dictionary
monster
playMedical Definition of monster
: an animal or plant displaying a major developmental abnormality in form or structure
Learn More about monster
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for monster Spanish Central: Translation of monster Nglish: Translation of monster for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of monster for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about monster
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