Zeus

[ zoos ]

noun
  1. the supreme deity of the ancient Greeks, a son of Cronus and Rhea, brother of Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and Poseidon, and father of a number of gods, demigods, and mortals; the god of the heavens, identified by the Romans with Jupiter.

Words Nearby Zeus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Zeus in a sentence

  • Zeus then granted his petition and gave Minerva to him for a bride, so that "arts and arms" should thenceforth be wedded together.

  • In the imagination of the Greeks Zeus was endowed with all the noblest elements in human character.

    Greek Sculpture | Estelle M. Hurll
  • The bust of Zeus reproduced in our illustration is thought to be a far-away copy of the head of Phidias's statue.

    Greek Sculpture | Estelle M. Hurll
  • He was a brother of Zeus, the sky and atmosphere deity, and had bull and horse forms.

    Myths of Babylonia and Assyria | Donald A. Mackenzie
  • Alcamenes represented him as a sort of humanized Zeus or Jupiter.

British Dictionary definitions for Zeus

Zeus

/ (zjuːs) /


noun
  1. the supreme god of the ancient Greeks, who became ruler of gods and men after he dethroned his father Cronus and defeated the Titans. He was the husband of his sister Hera and father by her and others of many gods, demigods, and mortals. He wielded thunderbolts and ruled the heavens, while his brothers Poseidon and Hades ruled the sea and underworld respectively: Roman counterpart: Jupiter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Zeus

Zeus

The chief of the Greek and Roman gods, who defeated the Titans to assume leadership of the universe. He lived atop Mount Olympus, from which he hurled thunderbolts to announce his anger. Despite his awesome power, he had a weakness for mortal women. (See Leda and the swan.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.