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• Loch Ness monster
  Loch Ness monster

  noun

  a large aquatic animal resembling a serpent or a plesiosaurlike reptile, reported to have been seen in the waters of Loch Ness, Scotland, but not proved to exist.
• Loch Ness Monster
  Loch Ness Monster

  A gigantic, humped, dragonlike creature thought to inhabit the icy depths of Loch Ness, a lake in north-central Scotland. Periodic sightings of “Nessie” have been alleged since the early 1930s (though the legend of such a creature dates to the seventh century), but the monster remains elusive.

Loch Ness monster

American  

noun

1. a large aquatic animal resembling a serpent or a plesiosaurlike reptile, reported to have been seen in the waters of Loch Ness, Scotland, but not proved to exist.

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Loch Ness Monster Cultural  

1. A gigantic, humped, dragonlike creature thought to inhabit the icy depths of Loch Ness, a lake in north-central Scotland. Periodic sightings of “Nessie” have been alleged since the early 1930s (though the legend of such a creature dates to the seventh century), but the monster remains elusive.

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Etymology

Origin of Loch Ness monster

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Loch Ness monster Loch Ness Monster

As an X-file from an earlier era, when fringe theories about UFOs, crop circles or the Loch Ness monster were quarantined as tabloid fodder, the lore around the wilderness footage seems quaint by today’s standards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

The mystery of the fabled Loch Ness monster endures despite a weekend of mass-participation Nessie hunting.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2023

According to Sotheby’s, many have drawn comparisons between plesiosaurs and the Loch Ness monster of Scottish folklore, as the plesiosaur’s long neck, small head and flippers mirror recorded descriptions of the fabled monster.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 11, 2023

And finally, a glimmer of hope for Loch Ness monster believers.

From New York Times ● Aug. 5, 2022

“Like my parents do. Because fairies don’t exist. And neither does Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, or, most importantly for our current purposes, the Spirit of the Sea.”

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Growing up just outside Melbourne, Australia, Scotty James was more likely to spot the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot as he was to spot snow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025

"Because of Covid, it was postponed for a while, and now we're here - with the Loch Ness Monster," she adds.

From BBC ● May 19, 2023

In Mayan culture, an aluxe is believed to be a mischievous elflike being that lives in the woods, a creature of folklore similar to leprechauns, unicorns, mermaids and the Loch Ness Monster.

From New York Times ● Feb. 27, 2023

The internet encyclopedia defines cryptozoology as “a pseudoscience or subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals” such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the chupacabra, and other so-called cryptids.

From Slate ● Feb. 13, 2023

He felt silly asking, because the only loch he’d ever heard of was Loch Ness, where Nessie the Loch Ness Monster was said to live.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova