elephant

noun

ˈe-lə-fənt How to pronounce elephant (audio)
Definition of elephantnext
as in whale
something or someone that is unusually large and powerful by any standard, the new shopping mall will be an elephant and one that is certain to alter the retail landscape

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of elephant In the film, Dumbo, a baby elephant with large ears, is dropped off by a stork at a circus in Florida. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2026 Now guests of Omaanda have privileged access to the Van Vuurens’s important community and conservation projects, which include rehabilitation of injured or orphaned rhinos, elephants and big cats. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026 The debut feature centers on Pilati, head of a kinnar, or third-gender, community in a village hemmed in by elephant forest, who takes over the hunt for a missing girl when police won’t help. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026 Five mammal groups – primates, carnivores, whales, elephants and rhinos – received 86% of available funding, despite accounting for only one-third of threatened mammal projects. — David Ginsburg, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elephant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elephant
  1. whale
  2. giant
  3. dinosaur
  4. monster
  5. mammoth
Noun
  • In February last year, more than 150 whales beached off the coast of Tasmania, Australia – and all of them either died or were euthanized – in the first mass stranding of the animals in Tasmania in 50 years.
    — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026
  • It was rebroadcast around the country, and the exploding whale became a kind of mascot for Florence and a point of pride for many of its residents.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of whale
Noun
  • While Europe had industrial giants to be proud of, disruptors tended to be more successful in frontier technologies, according to Mettler.
    — Ian King, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2026
  • GuangYu doesn’t normally make engines although fellow Chinese manufacturing giant Geely does make a similar unit.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of giant
Noun
  • The sheriff's office shared photos of the couple, who were wearing matching dinosaur costumes, in custody.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • According to the study, scientists have long recognized the connection between the diversification of plant-eating dinosaurs and the rise of flowering plants during this period.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of dinosaur
Noun
  • The monster romance is as old as Pasiphaë tricking the white bull into bedding her, but a spate of recent offerings, across film and literature, especially, have come to form something less like a genre and more like a drug.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The potential start of a monster buyback program in December is a promising catalyst.
    — Alexa LoMonaco,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • In ancient California, they are believed to have existed alongside other extinct native species, including bison-sized Jefferson’s ground sloths, Columbian mammoths and western camels.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • See fossils of the 14-foot, 20,000-pound mammoths that used to roam around Texas.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of mammoth

Browse Nearby Words

elements
elephant
elephantine
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Cite this Entry

“Elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elephant. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on elephant

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about elephant

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