variants
or daemon
plural demons or daemons
1
a
: an evil spirit
angels and demons
b
: a source or agent of evil, harm, distress, or ruin
the demons of drug and alcohol addiction
confronting the demons of his childhood
2
usually daemon
: an attendant (see attendant entry 2 sense 1) power or spirit : genius
3
usually daemon mythology
: a supernatural being whose nature is intermediate between that of a god and that of a human being
4
: one that has exceptional enthusiasm, drive, or effectiveness
a demon for work
Doug, putting like a demon, had birdies on the third and sixth …—
Fred Tupper
Fred Tupper5
daemon
: a software program or process that runs in the background
A mailer daemon installed on an e-mail system can respond to a piece of incorrectly addressed e-mail by generating an automated message to the sender that the message was undeliverable.—J. D. Biersdorfer
J. D. BiersdorferExamples of demon in a Sentence
only in rare cases is the ancient rite of exorcism performed to cast out a troublesome demon
a man who was finally able to conquer his demons and kick his drug habit
Recent Examples on the Web
Together, the two men battle the forces of evil, each other, and their own demons on the path to salvation.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 May 2025
Other days, some of the old demons on the forehand and the serve resurface.
—Corey Seymour, Vogue, 23 May 2025
These ghostly demons are said to appear before a person's passing, a premonition that looks identical to the soon-to-be-deceased.
—Arkansas Online, 22 May 2025
His persecution, presented in spurts across the various timelines, seldom leads to a coherent story of a man being chased by demons of his own making (despite frequent allusions to Mossad catching up to other Nazi leaders).
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demon
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Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 May 2025
Other days, some of the old demons on the forehand and the serve resurface.
—Corey Seymour, Vogue, 23 May 2025
These ghostly demons are said to appear before a person's passing, a premonition that looks identical to the soon-to-be-deceased.
—Arkansas Online, 22 May 2025
His persecution, presented in spurts across the various timelines, seldom leads to a coherent story of a man being chased by demons of his own making (despite frequent allusions to Mossad catching up to other Nazi leaders).
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demon
Cite this Entry
“Demon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demon. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
demon
noun
de·mon
variants
or daemon
1
: an evil spirit
2
usually daemon
: an accompanying power or spirit : genius
3
usually daemon
: demigod sense 1
4
: one that has a lot of energy
a demon for work
demonic
adjective
di-ˈmän-ik
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