Illustration of elephant
- 1 African
- 2 Asian
elephant
noun
el·e·phant
ˈe-lə-fənt 
plural elephants also elephant
often attributive
1
a
: a thickset, usually extremely large, nearly hairless, herbivorous mammal (family Elephantidae, the elephant family) that has a snout elongated into a muscular trunk and two incisors in the upper jaw developed especially in the male into long ivory tusks:
(1)
: a tall, large-eared mammal (Loxodonta africana) of tropical Africa that is sometimes considered to comprise two separate species (L. africana of sub-Saharan savannas and L. cyclotis of central and western rainforests)
called also African elephant
(2)
: a relatively small-eared mammal (Elephas maximus) of forests of southeastern Asia
called also Asian elephant, Indian elephant
2
: one that is uncommonly large or hard to manage see also elephant in the room
Synonyms
Examples of elephant in a Sentence
by any standard, the new shopping mall will be an elephant and one that is certain to alter the retail landscape
Recent Examples on the Web
Residents in Butte, Montana may be more used to seeing bison, but an escaped circus elephant was a surprise when she was captured on video walking through the town streets.
—
Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
Loyal said handlers were able to catch the elephant and load her back into a circus truck within 10 minutes of her escape.
—Joe Hernandez, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in the African continent, and the world.
—Emma Ogao, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
In March, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service adopted new restrictions on U.S. imports of African elephant hunting trophies and live elephants.
—Kate Brady, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
This vibrant elephant crib mobile is a delightful addition to any nursery.
—Bridget Shirvell, Parents, 26 Mar. 2024
By all accounts, artist and elephant shared the same Gallic urbanity and optimistic outlook.
—Penelope Green, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
The elephant then flips the vehicle over and the passengers can be heard gasping as the car rolls over.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Osh the African elephant makes quick work of a whole coconut.
—Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024
Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
Loyal said handlers were able to catch the elephant and load her back into a circus truck within 10 minutes of her escape.
—Joe Hernandez, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in the African continent, and the world.
—Emma Ogao, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
In March, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service adopted new restrictions on U.S. imports of African elephant hunting trophies and live elephants.
—Kate Brady, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
This vibrant elephant crib mobile is a delightful addition to any nursery.
—Bridget Shirvell, Parents, 26 Mar. 2024
By all accounts, artist and elephant shared the same Gallic urbanity and optimistic outlook.
—Penelope Green, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
The elephant then flips the vehicle over and the passengers can be heard gasping as the car rolls over.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Osh the African elephant makes quick work of a whole coconut.
—Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elephant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near elephant
Cite this Entry
“Elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
elephant
noun
el·e·phant
ˈel-ə-fənt
: any of a family of huge thickset nearly hairless mammals that have the snout lengthened into a trunk and two incisors in the upper jaw developed into long outward-curving pointed ivory tusks and that include two living forms:
a
: one with large ears that occurs in tropical Africa
b
: one with relatively small ears that occurs in forests of southeastern Asia
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