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
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 June 2025
More generally, Gefion is a computational behemoth and has been used by numerous enterprises to advance their computing capabilities; for example, Danish startup Teton has been working with Nvidia and Gefion to build out an AI care companion for clinical settings.
—Dr. Sai Balasubramanian, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
Since Messi’s arrival in July 2023, Miami has tasted some competitive success while becoming a commercial behemoth in the U.S.
—Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 7 June 2025
California is a country within a country — a cultural and economic behemoth where the future happens first.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Behemoth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behemoth. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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behemoth
noun
ˈbē-ə-ˌməth
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