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
The Rooms Courtesy of Broadwick Soho A touch more aesthetically restrained than the hotel’s boisterous public areas, the 57 bedrooms feature unique artworks, jazzy prints, and, occasionally, gorgeous brass drinks cabinets that Jaipur artisans have handcrafted to resemble cutesy elephants.
—
John O'Ceallaigh, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2024
An elephant escaped the confines of a traveling circus and roamed the streets of Butte, Montana, on Tuesday before it was recaptured without incident.
—Joe Hernandez, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for elephant 
John O'Ceallaigh, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2024
An elephant escaped the confines of a traveling circus and roamed the streets of Butte, Montana, on Tuesday before it was recaptured without incident.
—Joe Hernandez, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for elephant
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Cite this Entry
“Elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant. Accessed 5 May. 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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