mon·ster
ˈmän(t)-stər 
plural monsters
1
a
: an animal of strange or terrifying shape
a mythical monster
a sea monster
… visualize this scaleless monster, eight or nine feet long, sprawling in the shade by the side of the mud pools …—
W. E. Swinton
W. E. Swinton
b
: one unusually large for its kind
That truck is a monster.
That's why I was born in my grandmother's house—a grand, brick Federal monster of a house.—John Irving
John Irving2
a
: an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure
b
: one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character
an immoral monster
3
: a threatening force
the same monster—Destiny … that rolls every civilization to doom—W. L. Sullivan
W. L. Sullivan4
: something monstrous
especially
: a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty
a cruel monster of a father
5
: one that is highly successful
That movie was a monster at the box office.
: enormous or impressive especially in size, extent, or numbers
Examples of monster in a Sentence
Noun
That car is a monster.
Inflation has become an economic monster.
Adjective
The movie turned out to be a monster hit.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
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Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2025
One of the biggest changes reflects the idea that these new players prefer more monster options over D&D lore.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for monster
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Noun
Potgieter is usually a monster off the tee, leading the tour in driving distance coming into the week.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Related Articles Heat’s Bam Adebayo hitting stride when needed most; ‘He’s been a monster for us’
ASK IRA: Can Terry Rozier even be a Plan B for the Heat at this stage?
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Leveraged and inverse ETFs give investors the opportunity to make monster bets on the stock market’s direction.
—Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2025
One of the biggest changes reflects the idea that these new players prefer more monster options over D&D lore.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for monster
Cite this Entry
“Monster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monster. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
monster
1 of 2 noun
mon·ster
ˈmän(t)-stər
1
: an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure
2
: a strange or horrible creature
3
: something unusually large
4
: an extremely wicked or cruel person
monster
2 of 2 adjective
: very large : enormous
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