null the Magi, in the Bible, the astrologers who paid homage to the young child Jesus, traditionally assumed to be three in number and to be named Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior.
the class of Zoroastrian priests in ancient Media and Persia, reputed to possess supernatural powers.
magi, people who are believed to have expertise in interpreting the assumed influence of the stars, moon, and planets on human affairs; astrologers.
the Zoroastrian priests of the ancient Medes and Persians
the wise men from the East who came to do homage to the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:1–12) and traditionally called Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar
First recorded in 1175–1225; see origin at Magus
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These are the Annunciation, the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi; Jesus praying on the Mount of Olives, the Crucifixion and the Lamentation; and, finally, the Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
In the second half, the soaked photographer was spotted by Ferguson, who asked her: "Magi, are you a bit wet?" and told her to "come and sit between Kiddo and myself".
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2025
Nobody can tell you whether any of them knew a Magi from a Musketeer, not to mention that the Roman Empire they worked under was a failed administration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025
“We are called instead to set out and journey, like the Magi, following the light that always desires to lead us on, at times along unexplored paths and new roads.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 21, 2023
I was collecting grass for the camels of the Three Magi, who were coming that night with presents for all the children.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
The uplighted orrery glows on the faces of two boys who lean into the circuits of solar orbit as it once glowed on the faces of the shepherds and magi at the crib in Bethlehem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
These wise men, or magi, will eventually arrive at the manger on Jan. 6, also known as Epiphany or Three Kings Day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2024
The kings sponsored Zoroastrian temples and expanded the faith at least in part because the faith supported them: the magi, or priests, preached in favor of the continued power and expansion of the empire.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
At certain hours, children craned their necks up at the astronomical clock tower in the main square to see sculptures of the three magi emerging on a carousel.
From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2018
Gifts of the foreign magi, brought from afar.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Weimer says with some satisfaction that customers frequently walk in to Magus “and they say ‘I went to college here in 1982, and the store still smells the same and looks the same.’
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
Ask anyone to close their eyes and picture a four-decade-old used-book store situated next to a major university, and the bookstore they imagine is likely to resemble Magus Books in Seattle’s University District.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
With its high ceilings and pleasantly cramped aisles packed full of quality used books, Magus hums with the certain ineffable quality that all great used-book stores enjoy.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
“John and Christine were really, really thrilled that we wanted to put a little baby Magus in the downstairs,” McElroy says.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
Simon Magus, on a raised platform, was in the very heat and height of an eloquent discourse.
From In Both Worlds by Holcombe, William Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
