tapir

noun

ta·​pir ˈtā-pər 

also ˈtā-ˌpir

or tə-ˈpir

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

Illustration of tapir

Examples of tapir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Denver Zoo officials are investigating after the zoo’s two Malayan tapirs died, the zoo announced Friday. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2026

Hiking is also one of the best ways to spot the park's wildlife, including howler monkeys, sloths, jaguarundis, parrots, and tapirs. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026

While there had been anecdotal reports of screwworm infestations in mountain tapirs, they were not previously considered a threat to the herbivorous mammals. —Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 8 Aug. 2025

Look for designs featuring either the toucan, the country’s national bird, or the tapir, the Belizean national mascot. —Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 30 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese tapir, tapira, from Tupi tapiʔíra

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tapir

noun

ta·​pir ˈtā-pər 

plural tapir or tapirs

: any of several plant-eating hoofed mammals of tropical America and southeastern Asia that are related to the horse and rhinoceros and have a long flexible snout, a very short tail, and short thick legs