mastodon

noun

ˈma-stə-ˌdän How to pronounce mastodon (audio)
Definition of mastodonnext
as in whale
something or someone that is unusually large and powerful mom-and-pop stores just can't compete with these mastodons of retailing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 mastodon Other species recovered from the cave, including mastodons and ground sloths, are rare in the region. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2026 Ground sloths and mastodons are linked to forest habitats. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2026 For example, utility workers once uncovered an ancient bone fragment from a mastodon. — Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025 The frieze, estimated to be about 12,500 years old, depicts massive ice age beasts thought to have once roamed South America, including mastodons and ground sloths the size of a car. — Laura Bassett, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mastodon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mastodon
  1. whale
  2. dinosaur
  3. giant
  4. monster
  5. mammoth
  6. elephant
Noun
  • Jeff says, however, that there is only one immunity whale this week and two tribes will be headed to tribal council.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Organisms not resistant to this onslaught—anything from microbes and crops to whales and humans—would experience an almost violently severe sunburn.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of whale
Noun
  • According to the researchers, the dinosaur suffered a broken rib during its lifetime.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • While dinosaurs roamed the earth, giant monsters roamed the sea.
    — October 16, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of dinosaur
Noun
  • Tech giants have told us all about how AI will take control away from society, steal our jobs, allow bad actors to design dangerous pathogens or cause a catastrophic cyberattack or destroy our financial systems.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Stronger-than-expected revenue from SpaceX's AI business is making PhillipCapital — once a bear on the company — bullish about the Elon Musk giant's stock.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of giant
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
Noun
  • In the film, Dumbo, a baby elephant with large ears, is dropped off by a stork at a circus in Florida.
    — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Now guests of Omaanda have privileged access to the Van Vuurens’s important community and conservation projects, which include rehabilitation of injured or orphaned rhinos, elephants and big cats.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of elephant

Browse Nearby Words

masticating
mastodon
mastodons
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Cite this Entry

“Mastodon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mastodon. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on mastodon

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mastodon

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