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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

But here’s what complicates the monster story, and what Hollywood has failed to illustrate in this movie: I also found a young man failed by nearly every system around him.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Here’s what complicates the monster story, and what Hollywood has failed to illustrate in this movie: I also found a young man failed by nearly every system around him.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

HHS’ headquarters was decked out for the event with red, white and blue lighting and posters depicting artificial food dye as a monster.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Then Stafford hit him in stride for a 64-yard monster gain on the Rams’ third drive, which set up Kyren Williams’ 10-yard touchdown reception.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Both now understood that fame was a two-faced monster.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Cregger’s film is more faithful to the spirit of the original games, with uncertainty and plenty of monsters just around every dark corner.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Last week’s calls from inside the house that A.I. companies are at risk of losing control of their monsters and killing everyone—true or not!—have continued to sweep the news.

From Slate ● Sep. 19, 2026

A perfect marriage of horror and comedy, ‘Widow’s Bay’ reminds us that ignoring monsters won’t make them go away.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

Morgan feels we should be "grateful" they were in Wales, adding they were not "big scary monsters" as some people may think.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

“Or is it just zombies and monsters you like?”

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

Related Words

• behemoth
• freak
• giant
• whale