as in whale
something or someone that is unusually large and powerful
by any standard, the new shopping mall will be an elephant and one that is certain to alter the retail landscape
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of elephant
The team ended up with a jar of elephant dung scent.
—
Rj MacKenzie, Popular Science, 11 June 2026
The elephant in the deep-blue district is Mamdani, who won about 80% of the district’s vote in his 2025 mayoral campaign.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026
An elephant’s head merges with the body of a cactus that wears Birkenstock-style sandals.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 June 2026
Mari didn't see the wild animals at first, due to the heavy rain and fog in the area, and was attacked by the adult elephant, the outlets reported, citing the Kerala Forest Department (KFD).
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for elephant
Rj MacKenzie, Popular Science, 11 June 2026
The elephant in the deep-blue district is Mamdani, who won about 80% of the district’s vote in his 2025 mayoral campaign.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026
An elephant’s head merges with the body of a cactus that wears Birkenstock-style sandals.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 June 2026
Mari didn't see the wild animals at first, due to the heavy rain and fog in the area, and was attacked by the adult elephant, the outlets reported, citing the Kerala Forest Department (KFD).
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for elephant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elephant
Noun
-
Like all large whales, the NOAA said fin whales were hunted by commercial whalers and their populations were decimated.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
-
Its charming downtown is full of art galleries, museums, restaurants, and tourism operators offering whale watching and sea kayaking.—
Zoe Baillargeon,
Travel + Leisure,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
The streaming giant has been contacted for comment.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
The contributions to Becerra and Bonta are one signal that AI giants and their employees have taken notice, investing in state elections in addition to congressional races.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Your kids can pick out their favorite pattern—dinosaurs, flowers, rainbows, and cars are all options—and the bag can be tucked into their backpack, tote, or duffel.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
16 June 2026
-
According to Protect the Paluxy, the runoff would flow in to Paluxy above the dinosaur tracks.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Then, one weekend about three years ago, Meledandri called with an idea — a Minion who sets out to make a monster movie.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
20 June 2026
-
The women’s Cloudmonster Shoe fittingly packs a monster-sized amount of cushioning.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
According to this theory, those now-extinct megafauna—the giant ground sloths and the giant beavers, the mastodons and mammoths, and even the lions and dire wolves—were relatively quickly hunted to extinction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
When Colossal Biosciences raises capital at a $10 billion valuation, investors are not betting on the mammoth.—
Ethan Stone,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elephant. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
