Illustration of unicorn
unicorn
noun
uni·corn
ˈyü-nə-ˌkȯrn 
plural unicorns
1
a
: a mythical, usually white animal generally depicted with the body and head of a horse with long flowing mane and tail and a single often spiraled horn in the middle of the forehead
b
: an animal mentioned in the Bible that is usually considered an aurochs, a one-horned rhinoceros, or an antelope
2
: something unusual, rare, or unique
There's the elusive unicorn: headphones that do everything well and work in any situation.—
Damon Darlin
Damon DarlinIn Washington, D.C., truth is now a veritable unicorn.—Marilyn M. Singleton
Marilyn M. Singleton… he's like baseball's version of a unicorn—a true two-way player.—Tony Paul
Tony Paul3
business
: a start-up that is valued at one billion dollars or more
… a tech unicorn in Michigan is even more of a rarity, far from Silicon Valley's investor echo chamber.—Scott Martin
Scott MartinThe blockbuster initial public offering is expected to kick off a revitalized market this year, encouraging IPO debuts by other unicorns, the privately held start-ups whose hefty venture capital funds have allowed them to avoid Wall Street and the legal requirements of a public offering.—Jon Swartz
Jon Swartz
Examples of unicorn in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Under $25 Lego Creator 3-in-1 Magical Unicorn $10 Buy on Kohls.com $10 $10
This 3-in-1 creator set can become three different animals, all with the ability to pose and move: a whimsical unicorn, a seahorse with fins, and a peacock.
—Alida Nugent, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
The report describes this as a departure from a time when all unicorns were founded by men but also reveals that the top 20 venture capital firms in the U.S. tended to prefer investing in male founders during their companies’ seed stages.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
An estimated 4,000 startups and 11 unicorns make up the country’s ecosystem, and Finnish companies are operating with quiet confidence despite a uniquely tough global environment.
—Miika Mäkitalo, Fortune Europe, 19 Mar. 2024
That cohort was transformational for YC, as midway through the process a surprise announcement dramatically changed the terms for every wannabe unicorn: Instead of an initial investment of around $20,000 for each company, every participant was staked $150,000.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024
They are sometimes referred to as ‘unicorns’ by fans as a result of their rarity.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
Warm Pals come in various animals and bugs, like an elephant, a unicorn, a spider, a dinosaur, and many more.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 27 Feb. 2024
This unicorn is recommended for toddlers 2 years old and up, and is part of Skip Hop’s Zoo line, which includes a variety of other bath time animals to choose from.
—Christin Perry, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024
But the bizarre episode hinted at a deeper dynamic destabilizing the AI unicorn.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Alida Nugent, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
The report describes this as a departure from a time when all unicorns were founded by men but also reveals that the top 20 venture capital firms in the U.S. tended to prefer investing in male founders during their companies’ seed stages.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
An estimated 4,000 startups and 11 unicorns make up the country’s ecosystem, and Finnish companies are operating with quiet confidence despite a uniquely tough global environment.
—Miika Mäkitalo, Fortune Europe, 19 Mar. 2024
That cohort was transformational for YC, as midway through the process a surprise announcement dramatically changed the terms for every wannabe unicorn: Instead of an initial investment of around $20,000 for each company, every participant was staked $150,000.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024
They are sometimes referred to as ‘unicorns’ by fans as a result of their rarity.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
Warm Pals come in various animals and bugs, like an elephant, a unicorn, a spider, a dinosaur, and many more.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 27 Feb. 2024
This unicorn is recommended for toddlers 2 years old and up, and is part of Skip Hop’s Zoo line, which includes a variety of other bath time animals to choose from.
—Christin Perry, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024
But the bizarre episode hinted at a deeper dynamic destabilizing the AI unicorn.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unicorn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing unicorn
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Cite this Entry
“Unicorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unicorn. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
unicorn
noun
uni·corn
ˈyü-nə-ˌkȯ(ə)rn
: an imaginary animal generally represented with the body and head of a horse and a single horn in the middle of the forehead
Etymology
Middle English unicorne "unicorn," from early French unicorne (same meaning), derived from Latin unicornis "having one horn," from uni- "one" and cornu "horn" — related to corn entry 3, universe
Medical Definition
unicorn
adjective
uni·corn
ˈyü-nə-ˌkȯ(ə)rn
: having a single horn or hornlike process
a unicorn uterus
More from Merriam-Webster on unicorn
Nglish: Translation of unicorn for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of unicorn for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about unicorn
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