monster

American  

[mon-ster] / ˈmɒn stər /

noun

• monsters
  plural

1. a nonhuman creature so ugly or monstrous as to frighten people.

2. any creature grotesquely deviating from the normal shape, behavior, or character.

3. a person who provokes or elicits horror by wickedness, cruelty, etc.

   Synonyms:

   miscreant, devil, demon, brute, fiend

4. any animal or thing huge in size.

5. a legendary animal combining features of animal and human form or having the forms of various animals in combination, as a centaur, griffin, or sphinx.

6. Biology.

   1. an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure, as from marked malformation or the absence of certain parts or organs.

   2. a grossly anomalous fetus or infant, especially one that is not viable.

7. anything unnatural or monstrous.

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adjective

1. huge; enormous; monstrous.

   a monster tree.

monster British  

/ ˈmɒnstə /

noun

1. an imaginary beast, such as a centaur, usually made up of various animal or human parts

2. a person, animal, or plant with a marked structural deformity

3. a cruel, wicked, or inhuman person

4. 1. a very large person, animal, or thing

   2. ( as modifier )

      a monster cake

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verb

1. informal to criticize (a person or group) severely

2. sport to use intimidating tactics against (an opponent)

monster Idioms  

1. see green-eyed monster.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• monsterlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monsters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of monster

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English monstre, from Latin mōnstrum “portent, unnatural event, monster,” from mon(ēre) “to warn” + -strum, noun suffix

Explanation

Monsters are imaginary scary creatures that lurk in dark places and horror movies. If it's got 3 heads, shark teeth and lives under your bed, then it's probably a monster. Monsters are big. Monsters are hairy. And monsters are certainly scary. Think of the Abominable Snow Man, that Loch Ness creature, or even Shrek — even though he's technically an ogre. This word isn't only for the imaginary, though: you could call anything freakish, frightening, or particularly evil a monster, like a cruel murderer or even a really big, violent storm.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monster monsters

After snagging a pink-and-red monster plushie, she excitedly jumped up and down.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

The star, named S301, orbits so dangerously close to the black hole that scientists believe it can shed light on this unimaginably powerful cosmic monster -- and test out Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Hurst and Basey rallied to cut the deficit to 8-7, but Benesh ended the scoring drought with a monster block.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

"It's like a rocket, have we created a monster for next year? Perhaps. It proves the city can cope."

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

“We fed the monster until it blew up.”

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Canada has all but abandoned prescribed burning—deliberate, controlled fires that clear out the deadwood and undergrowth that turn ordinary fires into monsters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

A Japanese journalist coined the term cosplay -- combining costume and play -- in 1984 after seeing people dressed as monsters and aliens at a sci-fi convention in Los Angeles.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

The mobile app Pokémon Go, which is now celebrating its 10th anniversary, uses GPS and augmented reality to let players find and catch virtual monsters in real-world locations.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

It was exactly what we loved: monsters, war, the cruelty of the human spirit, fairies and period settings.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

“I think you’d be surprised how rarely monsters actually eat people,” Jack said, standing up as well.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

Related Words

• behemoth
• freak
• giant
• whale