woolly mammoth

noun

: a heavy-coated mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) formerly inhabiting the colder parts of the northern hemisphere

Illustration of woolly mammoth

Examples of woolly mammoth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Carved into objects made of ivory, bone and antler, the markings often represented animals that were common in the area at the time, such as woolly mammoths, lions, bears and horses. —Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 25 Feb. 2026

Remains of woolly mammoths thought to be the last of their species, housed in the University of Alaska Museum of the North, are in fact the remains of a North Pacific right whale and a minke whale. —Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026

Taken as a whole, this show — which also features sculpture, video, photography and installation and a wearable woolly mammoth — is a kind of self-portrait. —Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2026

But their projects to bring back the woolly mammoth and other extinct species such as the dodo and the Tasmanian tiger have led some critics to take Colossal to task for tampering with nature just like in the movies. —Mike Snider, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

woolly mammoth

noun

: an extinct mammal that was a heavy-coated mammoth of cold northern regions and is known from fossils, from the drawings of prehistoric human beings, and from entire dead frozen bodies dug up in Siberia