rhinoceros

noun

rhi·noc·er·os | \ rī-ˈnäs-rəs

, rə-, -ˈnä-sə-\

plural rhinoceroses also rhinoceros or rhinoceri\ rī-ˈnä-sə-ˌrī

, rə- \

Definition of rhinoceros

: any of a family (Rhinocerotidae) of large heavyset herbivorous perissodactyl mammals of Africa and Asia that have one or two upright keratinous horns on the snout and thick gray to brown skin with little hair

Examples of rhinoceros in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In this case, of course, everybody is turning into rhinoceroses. — Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, "Review: Hilarious ‘Rhinoceros’ revival in SF comes just in time," 6 June 2019 So if modern humans didn’t cut up the rhinoceros, who did? — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "700,000-Year-Old Butchered Rhino Pushes Back Ancient Human Arrival in the Philippines," 4 May 2018 Downriver is a national park that is home to wild elephants, tigers and rhinoceroses. — Eric Bellman, WSJ, "Amazon, to Win in Booming Rural India, Reinvents Itself," 31 Dec. 2018 Lions, giraffes, hippopotamus, and impalas are also fairly common, while rhinoceros and cheetahs are decidedly more rare to spot. — Lindsay Silberman, Town & Country, "How to Plan a Safari in Kenya: A Beginner's Guide," 14 Nov. 2018 Throughout natural history there have been as many as 250 species of rhinoceros. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Unicorns Rhinos Were Real and Lived With Humans, New Study Says," 27 Nov. 2018 Some species of rhinoceros are nearly extinct due to poaching, habitat loss, and political conflict; for largely the same reasons, wild lion populations across Africa have plummeted 43 percent since 1993, National Geographic recently reported. — Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, "New York Fashion Week Gets Wild With a Dinner for Tiffany & Co.," 9 Sep. 2018 His comments signal a climbdown for China after widespread criticism from the United Nations and environmental groups, which fear that a relaxation of the ban would be harmful to rhinoceros and tiger populations in the wild. — Chun Han Wong, WSJ, "China Suspends Its Relaxation of Wildlife-Trade Ban," 12 Nov. 2018 The new recipients of Tiffany’s largesse will now also include the rhinoceros and the lion, the latter of which found a new ambassador in Jordan Barrett. — Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, "New York Fashion Week Gets Wild With a Dinner for Tiffany & Co.," 9 Sep. 2018

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

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12 Jun 2019

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The first known use of rhinoceros was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for rhinoceros

rhinoceros

noun

English Language Learners Definition of rhinoceros

: a large, heavy animal of Africa and Asia that has thick skin and either one or two large horns on its nose

See the full definition for rhinoceros in the English Language Learners Dictionary

rhinoceros

noun

rhi·noc·er·os | \ rī-ˈnä-sə-rəs

plural rhinoceroses also rhinoceros

Kids Definition of rhinoceros

: a large plant-eating mammal of Africa and Asia with short legs, thick gray to brown skin with little hair, and one or two heavy upright horns on the snout