mongoose

mon·goose | \ ˈmän-ˌgüs

How to pronounce mongoose (audio)

, ˈmäŋ-

How to pronounce mongoose (audio)

\

plural mongooses also mongeese\ ˈmän-ˌgēs

How to pronounce mongeese (audio)

, ˈmäŋ- \

Definition of mongoose

: 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).

Examples of mongoose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In addition to the many mammals at the park, which include warthogs, baboons, mongooses and others, there are an abundance of reptiles and more than 450 species of birds. — Fox News, "Shocking video of python, honey badger and jackals fighting each other goes viral," 11 Dec. 2019 But rodents weren't the only thing mongooses would eat: birds, reptiles, fruits, and other native species proved tasty to these transplants, and they are now ensconced, unwanted residents in the Hawaiian wild. — Christina Nunez, National Geographic, "Invasive species, explained," 5 June 2019 The mongoose was introduced to several islands in Hawaii and the West Indies to control the rodent populations on sugarcane plantations in the 1800s. — Christina Nunez, National Geographic, "Invasive species, explained," 5 June 2019 Researchers have collected genetic evidence that these HEVs can also infect a variety of animals, including pigs, wild boar, deer, rabbits, mongoose, chickens, camels, ferrets, greater bandicoots, Asian musk shrew, mink, moose, and fish. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Rat hepatitis jumps to human for first time, spotlighting disease mystery," 2 Oct. 2018 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

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.

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Mongolo-Dravidian

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Statistics for mongoose

Last Updated

21 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Mongoose.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mongoose. Accessed 27 January 2020.

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