elephants

noun

variants also elephant
plural of 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

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 elephants Other highlights include visits to the Tribe Art Gallery, the Golden Silk farm, and elephant conservation experiences in the Kulen foothills. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 July 2026 Originally coined by big-game hunters to describe the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot; lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo, the phrase has become tourism shorthand for the ultimate safari experience. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 Your kids may get a kick out of seeing a bunch of animals, including an elephant, mouse, pig, and monkey, greeting JJ, too. — Anna Halkidis, Parents, 17 July 2026 From some giant prehistoric sloths that fell into a sinkhole 500,000 years ago to extinct elephants to today’s massive invasive pythons, Florida has always been a biological playground. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 July 2026 Early the next morning, we sat surrounded by a herd of 13 elephants. — Rebekah Peppler, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2026 That much pressure is like having five elephants standing on your shoulders! — Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 13 July 2026 Indeed, woolly mammoth de-extinction efforts have already spun off discoveries that may help protect captive Asian elephants from a deadly herpes virus. — Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026 However, hunting pygmy elephants may simply not have been worth the effort, even for a species that was otherwise capable of doing it. — ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elephants
  1. whales
  2. dinosaurs
  3. giants
  4. mammoths
  5. monsters
Noun
  • At One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, guests receive miniature ceramic cacti and seasonal ceramic whales filled with sweets, turning the local landscape into a memorable keepsake.
    — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
  • Eventually and from a respectful distance, Ayres hopped in the water to get a better look at the whales.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 July 2026
Definition of whales
Noun
  • Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist who hunts and writes about dinosaurs.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 31 July 2026
  • The collection is inspired by some of the museum's most iconic exhibits and features apparel and accessories for the whole family, with playful nods to everything from towering dinosaurs to tiny insects.
    — Casey DelBasso, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Definition of dinosaurs
Noun
  • They also aren’t convinced by big tech giants’ promises of economic benefits from the centers.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 30 July 2026
  • The scenes with the incredible Cyclops and later with the giants, the Laestrygonians, feel particularly impressive.
    — Nicole Russell, USA Today, 30 July 2026
Definition of giants
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
  • The artificial egg tech is the latest addition to Colossal's list of de-extinction projects, which now span dodo birds, dire wolves, and mammoths.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Definition of mammoths
Noun
  • Over the last two seasons of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the titular demigod (Walker Scobell) has faced off against a minotaur, sailed to the sea of monsters, been chased by Cerberus, and even magically transformed into a guinea pig.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 21 July 2026
  • With the franchise’s trademark blend of extreme gore and dark humor, the Evil Dead backstory centers on the ancient Book of the Dead that unleashes supernatural evil forces and twists victims into sadistic, shape-shifting, near-invincible monsters.
    — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 21 July 2026
Definition of monsters

Browse Nearby Words

elephantine
elephants
elevate
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Cite this Entry

“Elephants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elephants. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on elephants

Nglish: Translation of elephants for Spanish Speakers

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