antelope

noun

an·​te·​lope ˈan-tə-ˌlōp 

plural antelope or antelopes

1

: any of various ruminant deerlike mammals (family Bovidae) chiefly of Africa and southwest Asia that have a slender lean build and usually horns directed upward and backward

2

: leather from antelope hide

Examples of antelope in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In some cases, interstates have kept mammal populations (like antelope, deer and elk) divided since the 1950s or 1960s when many national highways were first built. —Noël Fletcher, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024

Tenderloins are a great reward after putting in all the hard work of harvesting your first deer, antelope, or elk. —Wes Siler, Outside Online, 15 Oct. 2024

Large herbivores such as horses and antelope have historically kept this grass short, which prevented it from drying out and allowed other animals to access the ground beneath, Ward explains. —Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 4 July 2024

Many antelope live in the wide open expanses of sage brush that span western states, and that flavor remains present in the meat as a result. —Wes Siler, Outside Online, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, fabulous heraldic beast, probably from Middle French antelop savage animal with sawlike horns, from Medieval Latin anthalopus, from Late Greek antholop-, antholops

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing antelope

• pronghorn antelope

Kids Definition

antelope

noun

an·​te·​lope ˈant-ᵊl-ˌōp 

plural antelope or antelopes

1

: any of various cud-chewing mammals chiefly of Africa and southwest Asia that are related to the goats and oxen and that have a slender lean build and usually horns directed upward and backward

2

: pronghorn