Zeus

American

[zoos] / zus /

noun

the supreme deity of the ancient Greeks, a son of Cronus and Rhea, brother of Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and Poseidon, and father of a number of gods, demigods, and mortals; the god of the heavens, identified by the Romans with Jupiter.

Zeus British

/ zjuːs /

noun

Roman counterpart: Jupiter. the supreme god of the ancient Greeks, who became ruler of gods and men after he dethroned his father Cronus and defeated the Titans. He was the husband of his sister Hera and father by her and others of many gods, demigods, and mortals. He wielded thunderbolts and ruled the heavens, while his brothers Poseidon and Hades ruled the sea and underworld respectively

"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

Zeus Cultural

The chief of the Greek and Roman gods, who defeated the Titans to assume leadership of the universe. He lived atop Mount Olympus, from which he hurled thunderbolts to announce his anger. Despite his awesome power, he had a weakness for mortal women. (See Leda and the swan.)

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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.

By God, let’s go with indie provocateur Gregg Araki’s conception of him: Robert Redford, a titan who hatched an independent film festival from his head like he was Zeus and passed away this September.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026

The flame ceremony was flanked by sculptures from the Temple of Zeus, the patron god of the ancient Olympics.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

Like the power-mongering and philandering Zeus of mythology, they are unhappy when their bad deeds are pointed out.

From Salon • Jan. 5, 2025

The inquest heard a dog-handler was called to the scene and used a sedation dart to remove Zeus from the garden.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 2024

The wound proved to be incurable and finally Zeus permitted Chiron to die rather than live forever in pain.

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