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
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 study was conducted using semi-captive elephants on reserves in the in Victoria Falls area of Zimbabwe.
—
Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
There, game drives reveal elephants wading through papyrus channels, leopards draped over fig branches, and a dazzling array of birdlife.
—Marni Granston, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2025
Her dress also featured three-quarter-length sleeves with a sharp collar and a unique animal print pattern, with small sketches of animals, including elephants, leopards, wildebeest and more, in muted shades of blue, gray, peach, yellow and other tones.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 9 July 2025
Its 80 larger-than-life topiary animals, which give the gardens their name, range from bears and stags to elephants and giraffes.
—AFAR Media, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for elephant
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Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
There, game drives reveal elephants wading through papyrus channels, leopards draped over fig branches, and a dazzling array of birdlife.
—Marni Granston, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2025
Her dress also featured three-quarter-length sleeves with a sharp collar and a unique animal print pattern, with small sketches of animals, including elephants, leopards, wildebeest and more, in muted shades of blue, gray, peach, yellow and other tones.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 9 July 2025
Its 80 larger-than-life topiary animals, which give the gardens their name, range from bears and stags to elephants and giraffes.
—AFAR Media, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for elephant
Cite this Entry
“Elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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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