elephant

noun

ˈe-lə-fənt How to pronounce elephant (audio)
Definition of elephantnext
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

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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 18-year-old female elephant got loose from her handler outside her enclosure, then went on the run, demolishing the door of a saloon on North Avenue, smashing in the window of another and walking through the fence around a vacant lot. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 The shoe uses a red leather upper with darker red nubuck overlays at the toe and heel in place of the Air Jordan 3’s traditional elephant print detailing. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026 Instead of using labels, Alkhatib talks his guests through the treasures, which include a marble model of the Taj Mahal, a geode from Morocco and a silver elephant sculpture from Sri Lanka. — Dina Cheney, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2026 In the Huab River Valley of Namibia, a female elephant carries the body of a deceased calf. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elephant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elephant
  1. whale
  2. giant
  3. dinosaur
  4. monster
  5. mammoth
Noun
  • He is venerated as a patron saint of sailors, mariners, travelers, and whales.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • In nature, larger animals, such as elephants and whales, tend to live longer than smaller animals, such as mice and shrews, Teeling says.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of whale
Noun
  • Anthropic itself revealed in an IPO prospectus this week that almost half of its revenue comes from fellow tech giants Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • That’s what Scheels, the giant sporting goods retailer, is expected to get for its Meridian location in the 2026 tax year.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of giant
Noun
  • An ancient family The mass extinction that caused the dinosaurs’ demise may have created an environment for the king-size fungus to evolve and thrive, according to the study.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The boy's parents released their own statement remembering their son as strong and kind with a love for rainbows and unicorns along with sharks and dinosaurs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of dinosaur
Noun
  • At last untethered from merely adapting a standard comfy passenger vehicle, the AMG engineers have created a monster.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Set on a mysterious island ravaged by floods and warring armies, a masked boy and girl must traverse atmospheric environments, rescue friends, and confront nightmarish monsters.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • In ancient California, they are believed to have existed alongside other extinct native species, including bison-sized Jefferson’s ground sloths, Columbian mammoths and western camels.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • See fossils of the 14-foot, 20,000-pound mammoths that used to roam around Texas.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of mammoth

Browse Nearby Words

elements
elephant
elephantine
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Cite this Entry

“Elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elephant. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on elephant

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about elephant

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