sleeping giant

noun

: one that has great but unrealized or newly emerging power

Examples of sleeping giant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The sleeping giant’s destructive potential lies not with fiery flows of lava, which, in the event of an eruption, would be unlikely to extend more than a few miles beyond the boundary of Mount Rainier National Park in the Pacific Northwest. Katie Hunt, CNN, 23 June 2024 Pro-government media celebrate the expansion of Turkey’s military footprint to former Ottoman lands, such as Iraq, Libya, Syria, and the Caucasus, as the rebirth of a sleeping giant. Asli Aydintasbas, Foreign Affairs, 19 May 2021 Unions overplayed their hand and awakened a sleeping giant: parents. Corey A. Deangelis, The Mercury News, 25 May 2024 However the offense – loaded with first-rounders like receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts and tailback Bijan Robinson, who play with a very formidable line – appears to be the sleeping giant. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sleeping giant 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sleeping giant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sleeping giant was in 1970

Dictionary Entries Near sleeping giant

Cite this Entry

“Sleeping giant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleeping%20giant. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!