monster

mon|ster¹ [ˈmɔnstə US ˈma:nstər] n

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1¦(in stories)¦

2¦(cruel person)¦

3¦(child)¦

4¦(something large)¦

5¦(dangerous problem)¦

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[Date: 1200-1300; : French; Origin: monstre, from Latin monstrum 'warning, monster', from monere 'to warn']

1.) ¦(IN STORIES)¦

an imaginary or ancient creature that is large, ugly, and frightening

▪ the remains of a prehistoric monster

▪ the search for the Loch Ness Monster

2.) ¦(CRUEL PERSON)¦

someone who is very cruel and evil

▪ Only a monster could kill all those women.

3.) ¦(CHILD)¦

a small child, especially one who is behaving badly - used humorously

▪ I've got to get home and feed this little monster.

4.) ¦(SOMETHING LARGE)¦ informal

an object, animal etc that is unusually large

▪ Did you see the fish Dad caught? It was a monster!

▪ There's a monster of a spider in the bath!

5.) ¦(DANGEROUS PROBLEM)¦

a dangerous or threatening problem, especially one that develops gradually and is difficult to manage

monster ²

monster² adj [only before noun]

informal unusually large

= ↑giant

▪ a monster cat

▪ The song was a monster hit.