white elephant

noun

|Updated on: 1 Aug 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of white elephant

1 : an Asian elephant of a pale color that is sometimes venerated in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar

2 a : a property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit

b : an object no longer of value to its owner but of value to others

c : something of little or no value

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white elephant was our Word of the Day on 02/19/2013. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of white elephant from the Web

Image Too much overseas activity risks creating wasteful white elephants that can drag down Chinese companies and local partners alike.

— keith bradsher, New York Times, "China Taps the Brakes on Its Global Push for Influence," 29 June 2018
But, in interviews, Mr. Karas and others singled out the stadium for praise amid concerns that other World Cup stadiums in Russia would become white elephants after the monthlong competition.

— andrew keh, New York Times, "If You’re Afraid of Heights but Going to the World Cup, Don’t Sit Here," 13 June 2018
This is an existing white elephant getting a new lease on life, if only briefly as an imposing backdrop.

— Washington Post, "Unused Soviet-era office block looms over World Cup fans," 28 June 2018
Emanuel joined Musk in the white elephant of former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s O’Hare high-speed rail dreams, the Chicago Transit Authority superstation in the Block 37 retail development in the Loop.

— john byrne, chicagotribune.com, "Emanuel calls Elon Musk's proposed 12-minute express tunnel to O'Hare 'the fast lane to Chicago's future'," 14 June 2018
Perennials for sun and shade, bulbs, herbs, and unusual plants from members' own gardens will be available, along with a gardener's white elephant table.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Vernon Edition," 8 May 2018
The sprawling terminal may have become a bit of a white elephant with the falloff in passenger traffic, but not so the airport as a whole.

— New York Times, "The Trouble With the Memphis Airport: No Crowds," 23 May 2018
Perennials for sun and shade, bulbs, herbs, and unusual plants from members' own gardens will be available, along with a gardener's white elephant table.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Vernon Edition," 8 May 2018
Perennials for sun and shade, bulbs, herbs, and unusual plants from members' own gardens will be available, along with a gardener's white elephant table.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Vernon Edition," 8 May 2018

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

Did You Know?

The real white elephant (the kind with a trunk) is a pale pachyderm that has long been an object of veneration in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar. Too revered to be a beast of burden, the white elephant earned a reputation as a burdensome beast, one that required constant care and feeding but never brought a single cent (or paisa or satang or pya) to its owner. One story has it that the kings of Siam (the old name for Thailand) gave white elephants as gifts to those they wished to ruin, hoping that the cost of maintaining the voracious but sacred mammal would drive its new owner to the poorhouse.

First Known Use of white elephant

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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WHITE ELEPHANT Defined for English Language Learners

white elephant

noun

Definition of white elephant for English Language Learners

: something that requires a lot of care and money and that gives little profit or enjoyment

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white elephant

Definition of white elephant

white elephant was our Word of the Day on 02/19/2013. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of white elephant from the Web

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First Known Use of white elephant

WHITE ELEPHANT Defined for English Language Learners

white elephant

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Definition of white elephant

white elephant was our Word of the Day on 02/19/2013. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of white elephant from the Web

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First Known Use of white elephant

WHITE ELEPHANT Defined for English Language Learners

white elephant

Definition of white elephant for English Language Learners

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