springbok

noun

spring·​bok ˈspriŋ-ˌbäk How to pronounce springbok (audio)
plural springbok or springboks
: a swift and graceful southern African gazelle (Antidorcas marsupialis) noted for its habit of springing lightly and suddenly into the air

Illustration of springbok

Illustration of springbok

Examples of springbok in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web During the game drive at Aquila, safari-goers will see South Africa’s big five: lions, elephants, buffalos, cheetahs, and rhinos, plus more local wildlife including giraffes, hippos, flamingos, zebras, springboks, birds, and more. Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 Their prey includes small antelopes, such as springboks, steenboks, impalas, and gazelles. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023 Pellegrin sat down at the bar, and ordered a springbok sandwich. Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022 The chances of finding a springbok in the National Museum were about as strong as finding a beatnik on a bog road between Balleybofey and Lifford. Paul Muldoon, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2021 So a team of scientists from ETH Zurich in Switzerland and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany have been playing around with a small quadrupedal robot called SpaceBok, designed to mimic an antelope known as a springbok. Matt Simon, Wired, 14 June 2021 True to its name, a real-life springbok bounces around the deserts of Africa, perhaps to confuse predators. Matt Simon, Wired, 14 June 2021 The point feet have a small surface area, kind of like the hoof of an actual springbok. Matt Simon, Wired, 14 June 2021 Three bongos, three giraffes, three red river hogs and a springbok housed in the barn were thought to be dead. Mike Rose, cleveland, 2 Dec. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'springbok.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Afrikaans, from spring to jump + bok male goat

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of springbok was in 1776

Dictionary Entries Near springbok

Cite this Entry

“Springbok.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/springbok. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

springbok

noun
spring·​bok ˈspriŋ-ˌbäk How to pronounce springbok (audio)
plural springbok or springboks
: a swift and graceful gazelle of southern African noted for its habit of leaping suddenly into the air

More from Merriam-Webster on springbok

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