pharaoh

noun

pha·​raoh ˈfer-(ˌ)ō  ˈfā-(ˌ)rō 

often capitalized

1

: a ruler of ancient Egypt

2

: tyrant

Synonyms

• caesar
• despot
• dictator
• führer
• fuehrer
• oppressor
• strongman
• tyrannizer
• tyrant

Examples of pharaoh in a Sentence

like some pharaoh of a third-world country, more interested in building monuments to himself than in creating a future for his people

Recent Examples on the Web

Disease, pestilence and death: Has unsealing King Tut's tomb unleashed an ancient curse? Fox Nation's 'Tales of Terror: The Curse of King Tut' unravels the media frenzy that came on the heels of uncovering the Egyptian pharaoh's ancient tomb and the devastation that followed. —Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 30 Nov. 2024

Participants in Passover Seders imagine that they themselves were freed from the pharaoh’s yoke. —Marc Tracy, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024

Inside was a trove of riches from Tutankhamun, a pharaoh from Egypt’s New Kingdom (around 1550 to 1070 B.C.E.) who had been largely forgotten by history. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Nov. 2024

Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton square off with appropriate intensity as Moses, who leads 600,000 Hebrew slaves on a perilous escape from Egypt, and his brother Ramses, the pharaoh who marshals his forces against him. —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pharao, from Old English, from Late Latin pharaon-, pharao, from Greek pharaō, from Hebrew parʽōh, from Egyptian pr-ʽʾ̹

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pharaoh

• pharaoh ant

Kids Definition

pharaoh

noun

pha·​raoh ˈfe(ə)r-ō  ˈfa(ə)r- 

ˈfā-rō

often capitalized

: a ruler of ancient Egypt

Etymology

Old English pharao "pharaoh," from Latin pharaon-, pharao (same meaning), from Greek pharaō (same meaning), from Hebrew par'ōh "pharaoh," of Egyptian origin