gazelle

noun

ga·​zelle gə-ˈzel 

plural gazelles also gazelle

: any of numerous small to medium graceful and swift African and Asian antelopes (Gazella and related genera)

Illustration of gazelle

Examples of gazelle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Later, prehistoric hunters and farmers lived in the Sahara alongside a veritable zoo of iconic African wildlife, including elephants, giraffes, hippos, a variety of gazelles, Nile perch, crocodiles, aurochs, Neolithic cattle, turtles, and an enormous collection of large trees and plants. —Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025

Two of the three stellar pairings that mark the gazelle's hoofprints have since been designated by the International Astronomical Union as the feet of the Great Bear represented by Ursa Major. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 30 Apr. 2025

The Algerian Sahara is also home to several animals like the desert fox, wild sheep, jackal and gazelle. —Angela Dansby, CNN Money, 14 May 2025

The actress Leslie Bibb cuts a figure like the aerodynamic swoosh of a Brancusi, or a gazelle. —Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from Arabic ghazāl

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gazelle

• Grant's gazelle
• Thomson's gazelle

Rhymes for gazelle

• barbell
• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• clamshell
• cogswell
• compel

Kids Definition

gazelle

noun

ga·​zelle gə-ˈzel 

plural gazelles also gazelle

: any of numerous small graceful swift antelopes of Africa and Asia