variants
also elephant
as in whales
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
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Recent Examples of elephants
The huge dinosaur measures 88 feet and weighs over 29 tons — around the same as nine adult Asian elephants combined.
—
Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
By analyzing the animal's spine, rib, pelvis and leg bones, including a front leg bone, researchers found the dinosaur would've weighed 54,000 pounds, or the equivalent of nine adult Asian elephants, and would've measured 88 feet in length.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Imagine nine adult Asian elephants standing on a scale.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
That’s more than twice the size of the world's largest living land mammal, the African elephant.
—Briana Alvarado, ABC News, 14 May 2026
That's the weight of more than four large African savanna elephants, or more than three times the weight of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
—James Doubek, NPR, 14 May 2026
Various engineers seeking superior grip performance have employed biomimicry in their designs, which have been inspired by seed pods, elephant trunks, lobster tails (in fact, using actual lobster tails), and, of course, octopus limbs.
—New Atlas, 13 May 2026
The film is set in a small Nepalese village nestled in the heart of a forest populated by wild elephants, where Pirati is the matriarch of a Kinnar community.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 May 2026
Two others detailed infections in tourists who had ridden elephants in Thailand.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 11 May 2026
Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
By analyzing the animal's spine, rib, pelvis and leg bones, including a front leg bone, researchers found the dinosaur would've weighed 54,000 pounds, or the equivalent of nine adult Asian elephants, and would've measured 88 feet in length.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Imagine nine adult Asian elephants standing on a scale.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
That’s more than twice the size of the world's largest living land mammal, the African elephant.
—Briana Alvarado, ABC News, 14 May 2026
That's the weight of more than four large African savanna elephants, or more than three times the weight of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
—James Doubek, NPR, 14 May 2026
Various engineers seeking superior grip performance have employed biomimicry in their designs, which have been inspired by seed pods, elephant trunks, lobster tails (in fact, using actual lobster tails), and, of course, octopus limbs.
—New Atlas, 13 May 2026
The film is set in a small Nepalese village nestled in the heart of a forest populated by wild elephants, where Pirati is the matriarch of a Kinnar community.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 May 2026
Two others detailed infections in tourists who had ridden elephants in Thailand.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elephants
Noun
-
The findings suggest whales, like humans, cooperate during birth—something that had never been documented in detail before.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
10 May 2026
-
The best way to experience this national park is from the water, and there are plenty of cruise tours available to take in the scenery and wildlife (think seals, sea lions, sea otters, puffins, orcas, whales, and eagles).—
Dave Parfitt,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis belonged to a group of dinosaurs known as sauropods, which were the largest animals ever to walk on land.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
-
Nagatitan belonged to the sauropod family of dinosaurs and lived in the Early Cretaceous period between 100 and 120 million years ago, according to UCL.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Traders have been buying tech giants on dips and selling big-name laggards including Costco, UnitedHealth and Alibaba, according to data from retail trading giant Robinhood Markets published via Sherwood.—
Oliver Renick,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
-
In a post, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos expanded on the company’s ability to influence culture, and to create jobs all around the world, contrasting the company’s investment to other entertainment giants.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
In a twist of prehistoric irony, our ancestors’ hunting skills proved too effective, leading to the extinction of mammoths around 10,000 years ago—and mammoth-bone dwellings with them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
-
Fossils have also been found that indicate the islands were also once home to pygmy mammoths, which only reached 4 to 6 feet tall.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The story follows a group of people trapped in a mysterious town where monsters haunt the streets and night and diabolical forces seem determined to terrorize and confound our heroes.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
-
Policy favored the monsters who plot in the background, more Kissinger than Kennedy.—
Eli Durst,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elephants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elephants. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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