burro

noun

bur·​ro ˈbər-(ˌ)ō  ˈbu̇r- 

ˈbə-(ˌ)rō

plural burros

: donkey sense 1

The farm boasted an array of animals including goats, a burro, geese, ducks, chickens and an Irish water spaniel named Mr. Dooley …

—Dorothy and John Tarrant

especially : a small donkey used as a pack animal

… bought a burro on which to pack their kit.

—Frank Norris

Figures darker than the gloom approached and took shape, and in the light turned out to be those of a white man and a heavily packed burro.

—Zane Grey

Synonyms

• ass
• donkey
• jackass
• moke [British slang]

Examples of burro in a Sentence

used a burro to carry the supplies

Recent Examples on the Web

The image of the burro as a miner’s faithful beast of burden contrasts starkly with ecological reality, experts say. —Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023

And therein lies the beauty of burro racing — there is no gender or age bias. —Brian Metzler, Outside Online, 16 Aug. 2022

So every year, the BLM sets a target number of wild horses and burros to round up. —Mark Scaglione, NBC News, 27 Sep. 2023

Wild horses and burros are protected under a 1971 law that established the right for these unbranded animals to live on public land, often referred to as the range. —Mark Scaglione, NBC News, 27 Sep. 2023

For San Bernardino Mountains conservationists, the signs are all too clear: Big Bear Valley has a problem — a wild burros problem. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2023

The nonprofit also enacts land trusts and grazing buyouts, and lobbies federal and state governments to protect wild horses and burros. —Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Sep. 2023

How to make spaghetti tonno e burro Bring a large pot of water to a boil. —Megan Litt, Bon Appétit, 5 Sep. 2023

The religious origins are evident in the classic piñata designs of the seven-point star and the burro, or donkey, said Cesáreo Moreno, chief curator at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. —Susan Montoya Bryan, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Spanish, irregular from borrico, from Late Latin burricus small horse

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

burro

noun

bur·​ro ˈbər-ō  ˈbu̇r- 

ˈbə-rō

plural burros

: a small donkey often used as a pack animal