mongoose

noun mon·goose \ ˈmän-ˌgüs , ˈmäŋ- \

|Updated on: 22 Jun 2018

Definition of mongoose

plural mongooses also mongeese play \-ˌgēs\

: any of numerous long slender carnivorous mammals (family Herpestidae) chiefly of Africa and southern Europe and Asia that are usually ferret-sized agile mammals typically with nonretractile sharp claws, short legs, long tail, and usually brownish or grayish fur sometimes with bands or stripes

Note: Mongooses feed chiefly on small animals (such as insects, earthworms, birds, snakes, and rodents) and are sometimes grouped with the viverrids in two subfamilies (Herpestinae and Galidiinae).

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Recent Examples of mongoose from the Web

The researchers studied eight different meat-eating animals, looking at the ferret, banded mongoose, raccoon, domestic cat, domestic dog, striped hyena, lion, and brown bear.

— elly belle, Teen Vogue, "Study Says Dogs Are Actually Smarter Than Cats," 18 June 2018
Those pop-up protagonists, meerkats (which are not cats but a kind of mongoose, which is not nearly a goose) have a system in which only about one in six females can ever ascend to baby-bearing status.

— steve mirsky, Scientific American, "A New Book Looks at What Life Is Like for Moms across the Animal Kingdom," 1 May 2018
Watch the full clip of the mongoose and the hornbill below.

— cady lang, Time, "A Dwarf Mongoose Playing Dead Is Hilarious and Impressive at the Same Time," 6 Apr. 2018
On the Big Island, mongoose have proliferated, devastating local bird populations; so have Puerto Rican coquí frogs, which chirp abruptly and erratically at 90 decibels, like a mobile infestation of alarm clocks.

— jennifer kahn, New York Times, "Should Some Species Be Allowed to Die Out?," 13 Mar. 2018
High up in the mountains, Grand Etang Forest Reserve is where to go for hiking, bird-watching, river tubing and meet-and-greets with critters like armadillos, mongoose and Mona monkeys.

— melanie reffes, USA TODAY, "Best Caribbean islands for nature lovers," 9 Apr. 2018
This goes on hilariously multiple times, although the hornbill seems nonplussed by the mongoose’s efforts.

— cady lang, Time, "A Dwarf Mongoose Playing Dead Is Hilarious and Impressive at the Same Time," 6 Apr. 2018
Feral cats, rats and mongoose prey on eggs and chicks.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Help name 12 rare Hawaiian crows nurtured by San Diego Zoo Global," 5 Apr. 2018
Meerkats are members of the mongoose family, the zoo said, and usually live in the deserts and dry open plains of Southern Africa.

— sean rossman, USA TODAY, "4 meerkats, aardvark die in London Zoo fire," 25 Dec. 2017

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