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Nero

American  
[neer-oh] / ˈnɪər oʊ /

noun

  1. (Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus ) (“Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus” ) a.d. 37–68, emperor of Rome 54–68, known for his cruelty and depravity.

  2. a male given name.


Nero British  
/ ˈnɪərəʊ /

noun

  1. full name Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus; original name Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. 37–68 ad , Roman emperor (54–68). He became notorious for his despotism and cruelty, and was alleged to have started the fire (64) that destroyed a large part of Rome

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Nero Cultural  
  1. An ancient Roman emperor, famed for his cruelty. He had his mother and wife killed and kicked his mistress to death while she was pregnant. Nero also persecuted Christians (see also Christian), blaming them for a great fire in Rome. According to tradition, he put the Apostles Peter and Paul to death.


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A famous legend holds that Nero caused the great fire of Rome himself and played a violin while watching it. To say that someone is “fiddling while Rome burns” is to say that the person is indifferent to catastrophe.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Lynch received the Nero Book Awards' debut fiction accolade last month, and has now also received the overall prize for the best book of 2025.

From BBC

The area was once viewed as ominous, dominated by an ancient walnut tree believed to be infested with demons and marking the supposed burial place of Emperor Nero.

From Science Daily

Costa's rivals jumped on the trend with Starbucks and Pret offering an iced matcha latte and Nero a strawberry and vanilla iced matcha latte.

From BBC

Fifth Roman emperor Nero threw spectacular games and events which made him popular with ordinary people, but is better remembered for his brutality and cruelty.

From BBC

In fact, from a table outside the new Gail's you could easily throw a cinnamon bun and hit both a Caffe Nero and a Costa.

From BBC