gopher

noun go·pher \ ˈgō-fər \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Definition of gopher

1 : a burrowing land tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) of the southern U.S.; broadly : any of several related land tortoises — called also gopher tortoise

2 a : any of a family (Geomyidae) of burrowing rodents of western North America, Central America, and the southern U.S. that are the size of a large rat and have large cheek pouches opening beside the mouth — called also pocket gopher

b : any of several small ground squirrels (genus Spermophilus) of the prairie region of North America

3 : gopher ball

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Recent Examples of gopher from the Web

The dusky gopher frog (Lithobates sevosus), found only in four locations in southern Mississippi, requires a specific habitat to survive.

— david s. rauf, Scientific American, "Clean Break: Kennedy Supreme Court Exit Could Upend Environmental Safeguards," 3 July 2018
According to biographer Nat Segaloff, who wrote A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, Ellison made more than a few enemies in the entertainment business and once sent a dead gopher to a publishing house to get them to return his calls.

— darren orf, Popular Mechanics, "Harlan Ellison Turned Star Trek Into Something More. Could It Happen Again?," 29 June 2018
In the stands, Bill Murray was looking for gophers beneath his seat.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: UC-XU play for it all. And the winner is ...," 25 Jan. 2018
Evidently, gophers consider coffee roots a delicacy.

— nan sterman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Branching out with new crops," 31 May 2018
Finally, the 67-year-old found his way into the clubhouse and out of the heat, like the gopher from Caddyshack sneaking back into his hole.

— peter dawson, star-telegram, "It's in the hole! Bill Murray wins over the crowd at Colonial once again | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 23 May 2018
After 32 years of restoration, the conservatory has restored healthy populations of wild turkey, bobwhite quail, Bachman’s sparrow, Florida pine snake and the gopher tortoise, as well as the elusive Florida firefly.

— amy aumick, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Explore Florida's Liberty County: Gorgeous views of the Apalachicola River," 7 May 2018
Troubleshooting Problems The biggest threats to carrots are four-footed critters such as deer, gophers, woodchucks, and rabbits.

— the editors of organic life, Good Housekeeping, "Everything You Need To Know To Grow Beautiful Carrots," 30 Aug. 2017
Nashawaty reveals how Harold Ramis and his team convinced studio executives to invest in the movie, as well as how a pesky gopher puppet somehow managed to save the day.

— kate samuelson, Time, "8 New Books That Dish the Dirt on Show Business," 26 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gopher.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.