behemoth
noun
ˈbē-ə-məth
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In the biblical book of Job, Behemoth is the name of a powerful grass-eating, river-dwelling beast with bones likened to bronze pipes and limbs likened to iron bars. Scholars have speculated that the biblical creature was inspired by the hippopotamus, but details about the creature’s exact nature are vague. The word first passed from Hebrew into Latin, where, according to 15th century English poet and monk John Lydgate it referred to "a beast rude full of cursednesse." In modern English, behemoth mostly functions as an evocative term for something of monstrous size, power, or appearance.
Examples of behemoth in a Sentence
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 May 2025
So, for quite some time, Jackson’s behemoth was the bestselling release in the country.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
Shein and Temu have become shopping behemoths thanks in part to the exemption.
—Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 2 May 2025
The behemoth of federal civil rights laws may originate with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but far too much of it has been invented by administrative agencies and courts.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Behemoth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behemoth. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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behemoth
noun
ˈbē-ə-ˌməth
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