Gorgon
Americannoun
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Classical Mythology. any of three sister monsters commonly represented as having snakes for hair, wings, brazen claws, and eyes that turned anyone looking into them to stone. Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon, was beheaded by Perseus.
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(lowercase) a mean, ugly, or repulsive woman.
noun
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Greek myth any of three winged monstrous sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, who had live snakes for hair, huge teeth, and brazen claws
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informal (often not capital) a fierce or unpleasant woman
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Gorgon
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin Gorgōn < Greek Gorgṓ, derivative of gorgós dreadful
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Gorgon and Wheatstone gas plants in Australia collectively supply more than five percent of the world's liquefied natural gas, according to Chevron figures.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
Inside the bright vestibule, the face of a protective Gorgon glowers at the visitor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Only much later would I realize that it wasn’t so much a smorgasbord of vendors as it was the Gorgon Medusa: When one head is removed, more sprout in its place.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
The cuts will include the president positions at many of its parks, Six Flags spokesperson Sara Gorgon said Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2025
I came back from that country and said that I had seen the Gorgon, but it did not make me a stone.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.