variants
or griffon
or less commonly gryphon
: a mythical animal typically having the head, forepart, and wings of an eagle and the body, hind legs, and tail of a lion
Examples of griffin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As seen in the video above, Homelander's new animality, coming to the game as part of the Khaos Reigns expansion launching Tuesday, sees the supe transforming into a similarly red-white-and-blue-decked griffin that tears apart its victim before exploding them with laser vision.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 23 Sep. 2024
There is plenty of snot in this book and plenty of things that smell bad, and the griffin, on first encounter, vomits all over Christopher.
—Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Painting of a griffin, a lion-raptor chimera, alongside the fossils of Protoceratops, a horned dinosaur.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2024
By the Middle Ages, griffins were common figures in medieval iconography and in heraldry.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for griffin
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.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English griffon, from Anglo-French grif, griffun, from Latin gryphus, from Greek gryp-, gryps
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of griffin was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near griffin
Cite this Entry
“Griffin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/griffin. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
griffin
noun
grif·fin
variants
or griffon
also gryphon
ˈgrif-ən
: an imaginary animal that is half eagle and half lion
Geographical Definition
Griffin
geographical name
Grif·fin
ˈgri-fən
city south-southeast of Atlanta in west central Georgia population 23,643
Biographical Definition
More from Merriam-Webster on griffin
Britannica English: Translation of griffin for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about griffin
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share