noun

phoenix

FEE-nihks

noun

A mythical bird said to burn up and then rise again from its own ashes.

"Like a phoenix, the old cinema rose from the ashes of the fire that gutted it."

Something or someone that recovers and thrives after being destroyed or seemingly finished.

"The company became a phoenix, rebuilding stronger after bankruptcy."

How to Use Phoenix

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA legendary bird reborn from its own ashes, and by extension anything that bounces back after being wiped out.

Common mistake

Note the capitalized "Phoenix" is also the capital city of Arizona — context makes clear which is meant.

Common pairings

rise like a phoenix phoenix from the ashes

Word Forms

phoenixed past tense, phoenix plural, phoenixes plural, phoenices plural, phoenixes singular

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Like a _____, the old cinema rose from the ashes of the fire that gutted it.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek phoinix, ultimately traced to an Egyptian word for the grey heron, a bird once worshipped at Heliopolis and linked to yearly renewal along the Nile.