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
Synonyms
Noun
Adjective
- astronomical
- astronomic
- Brobdingnagian
- bumper
- colossal
- cosmic
- cosmical
- cyclopean
- elephantine
- enormous
- galactic
- gargantuan
- giant
- gigantesque
- gigantic
- grand
- herculean
- heroic
- heroical
- Himalayan
- huge
- humongous
- humungous
- immense
- jumbo
- king-size
- king-sized
- leviathan
- mammoth
- massive
- mega
- mighty
- monstrous
- monumental
- mountainous
- oceanic
- pharaonic
- planetary
- prodigious
- super
- super-duper
- supersize
- supersized
- titanic
- tremendous
- vast
- vasty
- walloping
- whacking
- whopping
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
Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 1 Nov. 2024
In this show, the most terrifying threat is not any singular person or group, but rather, the monsters inside us.
—Andrés Buenahora, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024
John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Sep. 2024
Keeping a lid on production allows Big Oil to reap monster profits at the expense of the driving public.
—Robert Weissman, The Mercury News, 15 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for monster 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The monster could move around the stage, and other dancers acted as her tentacles.
—Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 1 Nov. 2024
In this show, the most terrifying threat is not any singular person or group, but rather, the monsters inside us.
—Andrés Buenahora, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
Could Hurricane Helene impact Indiana? Tropical Storm Helene has been churning in the western Caribbean and could emerge into a potentially monster hurricane, warn forecasters.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Sep. 2024
Keeping a lid on production allows Big Oil to reap monster profits at the expense of the driving public.
—Robert Weissman, The Mercury News, 15 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for monster
Dictionary Entries Near monster
Cite this Entry
“Monster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monster. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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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