Huns

Cultural  

1. A tribe from western Asia who conquered much of central and eastern Europe during the fifth century. The Huns were known for their cruelty and destructiveness.

---

Discover More

The British frequently referred to German soldiers as “Huns” during World War I and World War II as a way of emphasizing their supposed brutality.

Example Sentences

Meanwhile diplomacy provided Byzantium with the intelligence to deflect pressure from the Huns and otherwise shape the Byzantine near abroad to favor its own interests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

According to legend, the miraculous apparition of Saints Peter and Paul during the meeting between Pope Leo I and Attila the king of the Huns in 452 AD made the latter desist from invading Italy.

From BBC • May 9, 2025

They may be less known than their less successful predecessors, the Huns.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

A subsequent survey with a magnetometer identified a necropolis of the Avars, a nomadic peoples who succeeded Attila’s Huns.

From New York Times • Jun. 13, 2023

But it was the Huns who were responsible.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson