griffin
noun
grif·fin
| \ ˈgri-fən
\
\
variants:
or griffon
or less commonly gryphon
Definition of griffin
(Entry 1 of 3)
: a mythical animal typically having the head, forepart, and wings of an eagle and the body, hind legs, and tail of a lion
Griffin
biographical name
Grif·fin
| \ ˈgri-fən
\
\
Definition of Griffin (Entry 2 of 3)
Walter Burley 1876–1937 American architect
Griffin
geographical name
Grif·fin
| \ ˈgri-fən
\
\
Definition of Griffin (Entry 3 of 3)
city south-southeast of Atlanta in west central Georgia population 23,643
Examples of griffin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Choose from a dragon, a monkey, a cat, an owl or a griffin. — Emily Sabens, Indianapolis Star, "13 cool, cute and downright interesting things you can buy at Gen Con 2019," 2 Aug. 2019 Bestiaries extolled the glory of the Christian G od through the application of vivid splendor to his creation, whether proved to be real like a lion and pelican or believed to exist in a far-off realm like the griffin and unicorn. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: Unicorns are just one of the wild rides in the Getty’s marvelous ‘Book of Beasts’," 23 July 2019 For every lion there’s a griffin — a lion’s body fused with an eagle’s head, wings and sometimes talons — and for every pelican, a fire-breathing dragon. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: Unicorns are just one of the wild rides in the Getty’s marvelous ‘Book of Beasts’," 23 July 2019 Kraken and dark flame, lion and griffin, the sun's son and the mummer's dragon. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "All the Signs Arya Stark Is Going to Kill Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones," 13 May 2019 But no sooner have the guests arrived than someone tips a heavy stone griffin down upon the star witness. — Tom Nolan, WSJ, "Mysteries: Tales of Three Blood-Soaked Cities," 30 Nov. 2018 All around us in the sanctuary, crumbling frescoes reached up into the nave: centaurs and griffins, eagle knights and coyote warriors. — Junot DÃaz, The New Yorker, "The Hunt for Mexico’s Heirloom Beans," 17 Apr. 2018 Others are scattered apparently randomly: an Athena here, a horse or a satyr there, among bulls’ heads, griffins, sphinxes, garden urns or busts of 5th-century B.C. Athenian philosopher Socrates and the 19th-century Greek poet Dionysios Solomos. — Washington Post, "Greek terracotta workshop produces an army of gods," 23 Dec. 2017 Another yields seal stones carved with intricate designs: three reclining bulls; a griffin with outstretched wings. — Myrto Papadopoulos, Smithsonian, "This 3,500-Year-Old Greek Tomb Upended What We Thought We Knew About the Roots of Western Civilization," 30 Sep. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'griffin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for griffin
griffin
noun
English Language Learners Definition of griffin
in stories
: an animal that is half eagle and half lion
See the full definition for griffin in the English Language Learners Dictionary
griffin
noun
grif·fin
variants:
or griffon
also gryphon \ ˈgri-fən \
Kids Definition of griffin
: an imaginary animal that is half eagle and half lion