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out-Herod

[ out-her-uhd ]
/ ˌaʊtˈhɛr əd /
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verb (used with object)
to outdo in extravagance, violence, or excess: His cruelty out-Herods Herod.
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Origin of out-Herod

1595–1605; out- + Herod (Antipas)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use out-Herod in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for out-Herod

out-Herod

verb
(tr) to surpass in evil, excesses, or cruelty

Word Origin for out-Herod

C17: originally out-Herod Herod, from Shakespeare's Hamlet (act 3, scene 2); see also Herod : portrayed in medieval mystery plays as a ranting tyrant
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
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