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 of elephant

• whale
• giant
• dinosaur
• monster
• mammoth

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 world’s largest mammal, a century-plus elephant nicknamed Henry, was killed in 1955 and is on permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian. —Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026

Given Kiwi’s little legs, Ambriz held her up to see most exhibits, including her favorite, the elephants. —Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 2 Mar. 2026

Just like Tarzan’s graceful swing from vine to vine, the elephant graveyard was just a bit of movie script invention. —Joan Morris, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026

The outermost layer of African elephant skin, the epidermis, was known to be stiff, dry, and thick because elephants don’t shed dead skin cells. —Clare Watson, Quanta Magazine, 27 Feb. 2026

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 ear
• 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