Pharaoh
noun
a title of an ancient Egyptian king.
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Pharaoh
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pharaoh
pharaohThe title of the kings of ancient Egypt (see also Egypt). In the story of Joseph and his brothers, a pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of his entire kingdom. In the Book of Exodus, a pharaoh repeatedly refuses the request of Moses to let the Israelites leave the country and does not give in until after the worst of the ten plagues of Egypt.
Pharaoh
American
[fair-oh, far-oh, fey-roh]
/ ˈfɛər oʊ, ˈfær oʊ, ˈfeɪ roʊ /
noun
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Pharaohs
plural
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a title of an ancient Egyptian king.
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(lowercase) any person who uses power or authority to oppress others; tyrant.
Pharaoh
British
/ ˈfɛərəʊ, fɛəˈrɒnɪk /
noun
pharaoh
Cultural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Pharaoh
before 900; Middle English Pharao, Old English Pharaon < Latin pharaō < Greek pharaṓ (stem pharaōn- ) < Hebrew phārʿōh < Egyptian pr house + ʿʾ great; originally a designation for the palace, but used to refer to the king from the time of Akhenaton (14th cent. b.c.); -h restored from Hebrew
Explanation
In ancient Egypt, a king was known as a pharaoh. Ramses the Great, one of the most powerful pharaohs, ruled Egypt for almost 70 years. The pharaohs played important roles in both religious and everyday life — they were viewed as emissaries between mortals and gods. These monarchs were also military commanders, landowners, and tax collectors. The spiritual component of a pharaoh's job included choosing sites for new temples and leading religious ceremonies. Today, we know several pharaohs mainly from their mummified remains found in tombs by archaeologists. Pharaoh comes from an Egyptian root meaning "great house."
Vocabulary lists containing pharaoh
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 4
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Passover Vocabulary
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Ancient Egypt and Kush, Lessons 1–3
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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.
See Examples For:
For a man who considers himself the greatest builder the world has ever known — move over, Pharaoh Khufu!
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
The radiocarbon ages for the Santorini event were markedly older than the first radiocarbon dates obtained for artifacts associated with Pharaoh Ahmose and those from the 17th to early 18th Dynasty.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 7, 2025
Do we turn around and fight the Pharaoh on the shores of the Red Sea, or do we cross?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025
“It’s the Pharaoh Syndrome. You are working for the top of the pyramid and it will eventually come back to you.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2024
The Pharaoh died, says Exodus, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of their bondage.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
From this odd, real-life figure Mr. Mintzker turns to the fictional tale of a renowned prince from ancient times who, while visiting Egypt, is transformed by a jealous pharaoh into a miserable, put-upon horse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
On the sidewalk, generations play spades in the shade and the joyful screams of children emanate from a custom bouncy house adorned with an Egyptian pharaoh bust.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026
But we know what narrator Ramin Karimloo means: The last significant pharaoh continues to occupy the dreams of Egyptologists scouring the dust for traces of his history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
At the centre of the main atrium stands an 83-tonne statue of Ramses II, the pharaoh who ruled Egypt for 66 years and presided over its golden age.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2025
That is where it will one day stand, and pilgrims will be able to come here and worship the pharaoh long after his death.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
In the second half, Mostafa Zico made it 2-0 to Egypt, moments after the Pharaohs had a goal disallowed by instant replay for a foul that occurred at the other end of the pitch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The Pharaohs, Africa’s oldest national team, will be playing in the second round of the World Cup for the first time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
"Before the game, I said there are no easy teams, and Benin were tough opponents. Egypt are a great team and I want to make my people happy," said Pharaohs coach Hossam Hassan.
From Barron's ● Jan. 5, 2026
They qualified from their group in second place behind Egypt, claiming narrow and unconvincing wins against Angola and Zimbabwe either side of a defeat against the Pharaohs.
From Barron's ● Jan. 4, 2026
The rulers of such a state are absolute, as the Pharaohs or the Caesars could not be.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
