pink elephants

plural noun

: hallucinations arising especially from heavy drinking or use of narcotics
began to see pink elephants

Examples of pink elephants in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
While many stuck to the all-white theme, some took some risks and added their own flair to the dress code including James Corden, 44, who wore a white button-down shirt with light pink elephants printed at the bottom. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 5 July 2023 Their swaddles are in prints of pink elephants or flowers. New York Times, 12 Mar. 2022 Even when black holes crashed together and merged, the singularities—or pink elephants—would remain hidden by their event horizons, preventing their existence from throwing the outer cosmos into chaos. Daniel Garisto, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2020 This six-inch pink elephant from beloved plush toy maker Mary Meyer has a Wubbanub medical grade non-latex pacifier attached. Popular Science, 15 Mar. 2020 Curtin, a wildlife artist, paints pink elephants, blue rhinoceroses, standing cows and pigs adorned with jewelry and lipstick. Faith E. Pinho, latimes.com, 27 June 2019 Since the legendary car wash opened in 1956, the rotating pink elephant has witnessed the Space Needle go up and Amazon’s headquarters emerge from former parking lots just a few blocks away. Seattle Sketcher Gabriel Campanario, The Seattle Times, 7 Feb. 2019 The 1950s design by Remco features nine playful, painted wood obstacles—from the clown, lighthouse, and dachshund shown here to a pink elephant and storybook castle. Jessica Leigh Hester, Country Living, 27 June 2014 The Trailer for Tim Burton's Live-Action Dumbo Is Only a Little Scary Disney There's just one pink elephant. Joshua Rivera, GQ, 13 June 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pink elephants was in 1940

Dictionary Entries Near pink elephants

Cite this Entry

“Pink elephants.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pink%20elephants. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!