demon

[ dee-muhn ]
See synonyms for: demondemons on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. an evil spirit; devil or fiend.

  2. an evil passion or influence.

  1. a person considered extremely wicked, evil, or cruel.

  2. a person with great energy, drive, etc.: He's a demon for work.

  3. a person, especially a child, who is very mischievous: His younger son is a real little demon.

  4. Australian Slang. a policeman, especially a detective.

adjective
  1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or noting a demon.

  2. possessed or controlled by a demon.

Origin of demon

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin daemonium<Greek daimónion, thing of divine nature (in Jewish and Christian writers, evil spirit), neuter of daimónios, derivative of daímōn;(def. 6) <Latin; see daemon

Other definitions for demon- (2 of 2)

demon-

  1. variant of demono- before a vowel: demonism.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use demon in a sentence

  • It may be noted in passing that in the three miracles in Matthew of exorcising a blinding demon the title “Son of David” is used.

    Solomon and Solomonic Literature | Moncure Daniel Conway
  • And so saying, the mis-shapen little demon set up a hideous yell, and danced upon the ground as if frantic with rage.

  • Tom meekly did as he was bid, but in his heart there raged the passions of a demon, and he swore Mark Grafton should die.

  • In The demon I have found some beautiful things, but a good deal of padding, too.

  • "Either they or some demon changelings," answered the old man, rocking to and fro upon the mats.

    The Dragon Painter | Mary McNeil Fenollosa

British Dictionary definitions for demon

demon

/ (ˈdiːmən) /


noun
  1. an evil spirit or devil

  2. a person, habit, obsession, etc, thought of as evil, cruel, or persistently tormenting

  1. Also called: daemon, daimon an attendant or ministering spirit; genius: the demon of inspiration

    • a person who is extremely skilful in, energetic at, or devoted to a given activity, esp a sport: a demon at cycling

    • (as modifier): a demon cyclist

  2. a variant spelling of daemon (def. 1)

  3. Australian and NZ informal, archaic a detective or policeman

  4. computing a part of a computer program, such as a help facility, that can run in the background behind the current task or application, and which will only begin to work when certain conditions are met or when it is specifically invoked

Origin of demon

1
C15: from Latin daemōn evil spirit, spirit, from Greek daimōn spirit, deity, fate; see daemon

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