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

b

: any of various extinct relatives of the elephant see mammoth, mastodon

2

: one that is uncommonly large or hard to manage see also elephant in the room

Illustration of elephant

• 1 African
• 2 Asian

Synonyms

• behemoth
• blockbuster
• colossus
• dinosaur
• dreadnought
• giant
• Goliath
• jumbo
• leviathan
• mammoth
• mastodon
• monster
• titan
• whale
• whopper

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 Rooms Courtesy of Broadwick Soho A touch more aesthetically restrained than the hotel’s boisterous public areas, the 57 bedrooms feature unique artworks, jazzy prints, and, occasionally, gorgeous brass drinks cabinets that Jaipur artisans have handcrafted to resemble cutesy elephants. —John O'Ceallaigh, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2024

An elephant escaped the confines of a traveling circus and roamed the streets of Butte, Montana, on Tuesday before it was recaptured without incident. —Joe Hernandez, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024

Video shared on social media showed the elephant walking down the middle of the road through traffic in the southwest Montana city. —Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2024

Ambling along trails forged by elephants and hippos over countless generations offers a sensorial smorgasbord. —Alexandra Kirkman, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024

Germany, one of the European Union’s largest hunting trophy importers, is moving to ban the importation of elephant trophies, according to NBC News. —Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

And why one country is threatening to send tens of thousands of elephants to Europe. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024

That year, their wedding ceremony, held at the home of Richie’s father Lionel Richie, featured a French garden theme with a live elephant—for good luck, said the bride—and a horse and carriage. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2024

Residents in Butte, Montana may be more used to seeing bison, but an escaped circus elephant was a surprise when she was captured on video walking through the town streets. —Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024

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

Phrases Containing elephant

• African elephant
• Asian elephant
• Asiatic elephant
• elephant bird
• elephant garlic
• elephant grass
• elephant in the room
• elephant seal
• elephant's ear
• Indian elephant
• rogue elephant
• white elephant

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