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
Ashley Belanger – May 28, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2025
In May, the company raised $1 billion at a $12 billion valuation from behemoths including Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
—Truebridge Capital, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Yet inflation remains a big concern as companies reporting earnings in recent days, including behemoths like Walmart, said they’ll be forced to raise prices because of tariffs.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
His firm merged with another to form the financial behemoth PricewaterhouseCoopers; in 2002, the consulting wing was sold to I.B.M. for $3.5 billion.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Behemoth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behemoth. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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behemoth
noun
ˈbē-ə-ˌməth
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