ma·hout
| \ mə-ˈhau̇t
\
\
Definition of mahout
: a keeper and driver of an elephant
Examples of mahout in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The tiny Laotian mahout atop his enormous elephant sparked dreams of jungle journeys across Southeast Asia.
—
Andrew Nelson, WSJ, "Why Stamp Collecting Is Suddenly Back in Vogue," 5 June 2020
The mahout was in his thirties and his whole family had worked with elephants.
—
National Geographic, "Episode 3: The Hidden Cost of the Perfect Selfie," 29 Oct. 2019
Jongjiangam is a mahout—an elephant caretaker and trainer.
—
Kirsten Luce, National Geographic, "In this Thai village, life revolves around 300 captive elephants," 29 Oct. 2019
But not everyone mahout in Ban Ta Klang has the privilege of inheritance.
—
Kirsten Luce, National Geographic, "In this Thai village, life revolves around 300 captive elephants," 29 Oct. 2019
Shell meets Indian mahouts—or elephant keepers—and the animals themselves, which have unique personalities and striking intelligence.
—
Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, "An Intimate Portrait of Asian Elephants, A Case for Math-Driven Physics, and Other New Science Books," 1 June 2019
Most of these elephants, who are old and weak, are also sometimes beaten mercilessly by drunk mahouts.
—
Sangeeta Tanwar, Quartz India, "This elephant-obsessed Indian state is finally stepping in to protect abused captive animals," 13 June 2019
Burmese mahouts are becoming younger and are rotating elephants rather than developing long-term bonds.
—
Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper's magazine, "Findings," 10 May 2019
In elephant polo, the player is positioned on the animal's back, while the mahout sits close to its head.
—
Ross Kenneth Urken, Town & Country, "Meet the Only All-Female Team at Bangkok’s Storied Elephant Polo Tournament," 6 Apr. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mahout.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Learn More about mahout
Dictionary Entries near mahout
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for mahout
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Mahout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mahout. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Comments on mahout
What made you want to look up mahout? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Name that Thing: Flower Edition
-
- Name that flower
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share mahout
Time Traveler for mahout
The first known use of mahout was in 1662
See more words from the same year