hippo

noun

hip·​po ˈhi-(ˌ)pō How to pronounce hippo (audio)
plural hippos

Examples of hippo in a Sentence

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.
In 2018, a Chinese tourist and a local fisherman were killed in hippo attacks on the same day in Kenya. CBS News, 13 Feb. 2025 In September, a chubby pygmy hippo in Thailand became an online celebrity, and her home zoo became its own kind of creator, producing Moo Deng videos and selling merchandise. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024 The Edinburgh Zoo promoted its newborn pygmy hippo Haggis this month as a rival to Moo Deng’s famed cuteness. Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024 The now one-month-old hippo first made headlines after her birth last month, following the social media fervor surrounding Thailand's pygmy hippo Moo Deng this past summer. Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for hippo 

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hippo was in 1850

Dictionary Entries Near hippo

Cite this Entry

“Hippo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hippo. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

hippo

noun
hip·​po ˈhip-ō How to pronounce hippo (audio)
plural hippos

Geographical Definition

Hippo

geographical name

Hip·​po ˈhi-(ˌ)pō How to pronounce Hippo (audio)
variants or Hippo Regius
ˈrē-jəs How to pronounce Hippo (audio)
-jē-əs
ancient city in northern Africa south of modern Annaba, Algeria; chief town of Numidia

More from Merriam-Webster on hippo

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