tapir

noun ta·pir \ ˈtā-pər also ˈtā-ˌpir or tə-ˈpir \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of tapir

plural tapirs also tapir

: any of a genus (Tapirus) of herbivorous chiefly nocturnal perissodactyl mammals of tropical America and southeastern Asia from Myanmar to Sumatra that have a heavy sparsely hairy body and the snout and upper lip prolonged into a short flexible proboscis

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Recent Examples of tapir from the Web

This area will feature jaguars, monkeys, giant river otters, capybaras, birds and tapirs.

— rebecca hazen, Houston Chronicle, "$150 million campaign announced for Houston Zoo," 9 Apr. 2018
The study, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed the bones of a number of species found at Ceibal, including deer, opossums, turkeys, tapirs, wild cats and dogs.

— nell lewis, CNN, "How the ancient Maya reared dogs for food," 23 Mar. 2018
Such big urban centers require lots of food, and the Mayans hunted deer, peccaries, and tapirs.

— michael price, Science | AAAS, "Some dogs were royalty, others were dinner in ancient Mayan culture," 19 Mar. 2018
Many belong to extinct species, including mammoths, mastodons, enormous cats, short-faced bears, camels, tapirs, American lions, horses, javelinas and an odd, rhino-looking species belong to a family called Toxodontidae.

— brendan gibbons, San Antonio Express-News, "Friesenhahn Cave just outside S.A. yielded treasure trove of Ice Age fossils," 17 Dec. 2017
Rabbits, tapirs, porcupines, pigs, and birds are among the fallen at the country’s northern zoo.

— carlos jasso, National Geographic, "Animals Starving in Venezuela Zoos," 28 July 2016
This means endless opportunities for seeing some of South America’s most magnificent and varied creatures — think tapirs, giant anteaters and the world’s largest rodent, the capybara (which can weigh up to 175 pounds) in action.

— laura kiniry, USA TODAY, "Seven once-in-a-lifetime safaris that aren’t in Africa," 31 Aug. 2017
This might explain why Shuitangba seems to have mammals different from those found elsewhere, including apes and tapirs that had vanished from other places.

— brian switek, Smithsonian, "You Wouldn’t Want to Cuddle This Giant Prehistoric Otter With a Crushing Bite," 23 Jan. 2017
Smoked peccary, with roasted apples; tapir kebobs on skewers, buffalo tenderloin, that sort of thing.

— john kass, chicagotribune.com, "Eating the zoo creatures in Venezuela," 17 Aug. 2017

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

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Origin and Etymology of tapir

Portuguese tapir, tapira, from Tupi tapiʔíra

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1774

in the meaning defined above

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Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

TAPIR Defined for English Language Learners

tapir

noun

Definition of tapir for English Language Learners

: an animal that is like a pig with a long nose and short legs and that lives in tropical America and Southeast Asia

TAPIR Defined for Kids

tapir

noun ta·pir \ ˈtā-pər \

Definition of tapir for Students

: a large hoofed plant-eating animal of tropical America and southeastern Asia that has short thick legs, a short tail, and a long flexible snout

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See words that rhyme with tapir Spanish Central: Translation of tapir Nglish: Translation of tapir for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tapir

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