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Laius

American

[ley-uhs, ley-ee-uhs] / ˈleɪ əs, ˈleɪ i əs /

noun

Classical Mythology.

a king of Thebes, the husband of Jocasta and father of Oedipus: unwittingly killed by Oedipus.

Laius British

/ ˈlaɪəs /

noun

Greek myth a king of Thebes, killed by his son Oedipus, who did not know of their relationship

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

And the revisions pertaining to Jocasta’s marriage to Laius, who was killed in a car accident decades before, bring a discomfiting and topical contemporary edge.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

What’s more, he vows to reopen an investigation into the death of Laius, the former leader who died 34 years ago under circumstances that have allowed rumor and innuendo to fester.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

Oedipus-Antigone A new reimagining combines Sophocles' ancient Greek tragedies about the fall of the House of Laius.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2016

As of old they decreed and prophesied that Oedipus, son of Laius, would murder his father and marry his mother, Jocasta.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nevertheless, when the oracle warned Laius that he would die at the hands of his son he determined that this should not be.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023