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
5
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
Examples 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
Now a lawyer like her father, she’s forced to confront her demons as the case twists through one shocking revelation after another.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2025
Buffy the Vampire Slayer launched in 1997 and ultimately ran for seven seasons, telling the story of its titular hero, a young woman who must fight vampires, demons, and other evil forces while making her way through high school.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 17 Feb. 2025
The film tracked Craig’s move to the suburbs to escape vengeful hood demon Deebo, serving as an example of how Black comedies on the big screen became snapshots of a time—with all their vernacular, bawdy cartoonish carnality, neck rolls, and flamboyant Blackness.
—Noel Ransome, Essence, 13 Feb. 2025
Daniel does make some serious progress in getting past those demons, though, when AI Mr. Miyagi shows up in the dream to kick some ass and offer some wisdom.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demon
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Articles Related to demon
Cite this Entry
“Demon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demon. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
Kids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share