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

But only Curry could create the kind of monster Scott wanted – a villain emanating something more complex than evil.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

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

"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

The monster holds his own for a little while.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Kirby explained that she had survived the Ghostface attack: “I was technically dead for four minutes. When I was revived, I got mad ... I wanted the monsters to be afraid of me.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 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

This place has an odd, accommodating kinship with these prehistoric monsters, a willingness to coexist rather than eliminate what would kill us.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Klopp, who has spent his career talking about "mentality monsters" and became a cult hero at every club he has managed, would seem to be the perfect solution.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

They looked like a puzzling mix of beasts from another world: spooky monsters, walking pumpkins, metallic machines, mythical creatures Clare had only ever seen in storybooks.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• behemoth
• freak
• giant
• whale