Illustration of elephant
- 1 African
- 2 Asian
elephant
noun
el·e·phant
ˈe-lə-fənt 
plural elephants also elephant
often attributive
1
a
: a thickset, usually extremely large, nearly hairless, herbivorous mammal (family Elephantidae, the elephant family) that has a snout elongated into a muscular trunk and two incisors in the upper jaw developed especially in the male into long ivory tusks:
(1)
: a tall, large-eared mammal (Loxodonta africana) of tropical Africa that is sometimes considered to comprise two separate species (L. africana of sub-Saharan savannas and L. cyclotis of central and western rainforests)
called also African elephant
(2)
: a relatively small-eared mammal (Elephas maximus) of forests of southeastern Asia
called also Asian elephant, Indian elephant
2
: one that is uncommonly large or hard to manage see also elephant in the room
Synonyms
Examples of elephant in a Sentence
by any standard, the new shopping mall will be an elephant and one that is certain to alter the retail landscape
Recent Examples on the Web
The elephant then flips the vehicle over and the passengers can be heard gasping as the car rolls over.
—
Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Osh the African elephant makes quick work of a whole coconut.
—Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024
Video shared on social media by ABC News shows the moment the elephant charged, with images showing later that the vehicle had been flipped on its side.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
In 2014, Botswana instituted a ban on trophy hunting following a decline in local elephant populations.
—Emma Ogao, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Footage of the incident viewed by PEOPLE, showed the elephant running behind the vehicle before heading toward them.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
According to Masisi, Botswana has seen its elephant population grow to some 130,000.
—Nadine Schmidt, Sarah Dean and Ingrid Formanek, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Reid Park Zoo officials shared the video of the elephant calf dunking her trunk into a mud puddle and then rolling around in the muddy water on Saturday, March 23.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
An elephant arrives on an island off the coast of Maine and, on a day like any other, the tightly-wound circle of life unfurls.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Osh the African elephant makes quick work of a whole coconut.
—Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024
Video shared on social media by ABC News shows the moment the elephant charged, with images showing later that the vehicle had been flipped on its side.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
In 2014, Botswana instituted a ban on trophy hunting following a decline in local elephant populations.
—Emma Ogao, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Footage of the incident viewed by PEOPLE, showed the elephant running behind the vehicle before heading toward them.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
According to Masisi, Botswana has seen its elephant population grow to some 130,000.
—Nadine Schmidt, Sarah Dean and Ingrid Formanek, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Reid Park Zoo officials shared the video of the elephant calf dunking her trunk into a mud puddle and then rolling around in the muddy water on Saturday, March 23.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
An elephant arrives on an island off the coast of Maine and, on a day like any other, the tightly-wound circle of life unfurls.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elephant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French olifant, elefant, from L. elephantus, from Greek elephant-, elephas
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of elephant was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing elephant
Dictionary Entries Near elephant
Cite this Entry
“Elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
elephant
noun
el·e·phant
ˈel-ə-fənt
: any of a family of huge thickset nearly hairless mammals that have the snout lengthened into a trunk and two incisors in the upper jaw developed into long outward-curving pointed ivory tusks and that include two living forms:
a
: one with large ears that occurs in tropical Africa
b
: one with relatively small ears that occurs in forests of southeastern Asia
More from Merriam-Webster on elephant
Nglish: Translation of elephant for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of elephant for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about elephant
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