elephant

noun

el·​e·​phant ˈe-lə-fənt How to pronounce elephant (audio)
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

b
: any of various extinct relatives of the elephant see mammoth, mastodon
2
: one that is uncommonly large or hard to manage see also elephant in the room

Illustration of elephant

Illustration of elephant
  • 1 African
  • 2 Asian

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
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.
Hippos and elephants often show up near the communal terrace. Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2025 Every year, hundreds of people around the world are killed or injured by elephants due to conflict between humans and elephants, conversation groups said. Doc Louallen, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2025 The machinery has previously saved elephants from mud pits, rescued dogs from rivers and even removed camels out of muddy swamps. Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025 In addition to over 10,000 stone tools, there were abundant fish, crocodile, and hippopotamus remains, as well as those of elephants and rhinoceroses. Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for elephant

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French olifant, elefant, from L. elephantus, from Greek elephant-, elephas

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of elephant was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

elephant

noun
el·​e·​phant ˈel-ə-fənt How to pronounce elephant (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on elephant

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