a city in W Georgia.
a male given name.
1300–50; Middle English griffoun < Middle French grifon < Latin grȳphus < Greek grȳp- (stem of grȳ́ps ) “curled, curved, having a hooked nose”
First recorded in 1785–95; origin uncertain
If your little brother wants a pet griffin, you should probably try to talk him out of it. A griffin is a flying, eagle-headed lion with sharp talons. (Luckily for you, griffins aren't real.) The mythical griffin — also spelled gryphon or griffon — dates as far back as 3000 BCE. Some griffins have the front talons of an eagle, like the griffins that appear on shields or coats-of-arms — they were often used this way, since the combination of lion and eagle was seen as being especially brave and strong. Griffins appear in literature ranging from Rumi's ancient Persian poetry to the Harry Potter books. The word's Greek root is gryps, "curved."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On the left arm, the mythical griffin creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle appears to be fighting with a stag.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2025
For every lion there’s a griffin — a lion’s body fused with an eagle’s head, wings and sometimes talons — and for every pelican, a fire-breathing dragon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2019
You can’t have a lot of body horror in a kid’s movie, but you can have a topiary griffin who torrentially evacuates dead leaves across the backyard in a beautiful, disgusting arc.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2018
History will show whether they got what they needed waiting as long as they did — 13 other cornerbacks were selected before the Seahawks took griffin.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2017
He made them a long speech, explaining about the griffin and the stalk and what the boys were going to do.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
The mayor named and shamed hedge fund manager Ken Griffin for owning a $238 million penthouse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
A couple walking along the beach sprinted out of the way as the small plane dropped down, Griffin said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
“People have been supporting us. It’s been amazing,” Griffin said of the last week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The previous record for a fossil auction was "Apex" the Stegosaurus, bought for $44.6 million in 2024 by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Barnes wasn't as strong as Rivera or as quick as Griffin, but he was rough and dirty in the clinches.
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
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.
