Lord of the Flies

American  

noun

1. a novel (1954) by William Golding.

---

Lord of the Flies British  

noun

1. a name for Beelzebub

---

Lord of the Flies Cultural  

1. (1954) A dark, allegorical novel by the British writer William Golding about a group of boys stranded on a desert island. Despite their attempts to establish a civilized democratic society, the boys eventually revert to totalitarianism and primitive savagery. Golding won the 1983 Nobel Prize for literature.

---

Etymology

Origin of Lord of the Flies

translation of Hebrew: see _Beelzebub

Example Sentences

All episodes of Lord of the Flies are available now on BBC iPlayer, and the series continues on Sunday at 21:00 on BBC One.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

He hopes that Lord of the Flies offers the same experience and helps young people watching navigate their way through "the most difficult period of life".

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

She has them read books such as The Crucible and the Lord of the Flies to teach about the dangers of mass hysteria and group vilification.

From Slate • Dec. 5, 2025

“Even in going into ‘Boys State,’ people said, ‘It’s going to be Lord of the Flies.’

From Seattle Times • Apr. 3, 2024

"Don't you agree?" said the Lord of the Flies.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding