pharaohs

Cultural  

1. The kings of ancient Egypt (see also Egypt). The pharaohs headed strong governments. They are remembered for establishing extensive irrigation systems and for building as tombs the imposing pyramids, which still stand today.

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In the biblical account of the Exodus, a pharaoh refused to let the Israelites under Moses leave Egypt.

Example Sentences

Incoherent hieroglyphs plate the walls, plastic pharaohs stand guard in the check-in lane, and taxis idle under the haunches of a gargantuan Sphinx.

From Slate • Nov. 18, 2025

At the opening ceremony, today’s Egyptians were hailed as the proud heirs of the pharaohs and the museum as a landmark that completes the work of their ancient ancestors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

The pharaohs of ancient Egypt built pyramids in the Valley of Kings to immortalize themselves.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 5, 2025

The state-of-the-art complex -- dubbed the "fourth pyramid" of the Giza Plateau – houses around 100,000 artefacts from the 30 dynasties of ancient Egypt's pharaohs.

From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025

They are built to be tombs for the pharaohs.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman