1(6th century BC), last king of Lydia c.560–546 BC. Renowned for his great wealth, he subjugated the Greek cities on the coast of Asia Minor before being overthrown by Cyrus the Great.

1. 1.1as noun a Croesus A person of great wealth.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Such is the nature of the fledgling Israeli art world that the artist could entertain no reasonable hope of selling it to either a Croesus or one of the major Israeli museums.
   • A Croesus who will metamorphose into a philanthropist prepared to take on the giants of industry.
   • It's hard for people to weep over some nasty Croesus losing a couple of million.

   Synonyms

   rich person, capitalist, tycoon, magnate, nabob, millionaire, billionaire, multimillionaire, nouveau riche, person of means