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
Tigers, elephants, rhinos, and green peafowl no longer walked here.
—
ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2025
Every curious kid in the family should have no problem seeing themselves in the inquisitive bunny rabbit Elinor and her friends Olive the elephant and Ari the bat.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 24 Apr. 2025
These high-quality socks have lasted through dozens of elephants and mermaids—and just as many washes.
—Amy Wilkinson, SELF, 24 Apr. 2025
Research indicates African elephants can sense vibrations through their ears and feet.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elephant
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.
ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2025
Every curious kid in the family should have no problem seeing themselves in the inquisitive bunny rabbit Elinor and her friends Olive the elephant and Ari the bat.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 24 Apr. 2025
These high-quality socks have lasted through dozens of elephants and mermaids—and just as many washes.
—Amy Wilkinson, SELF, 24 Apr. 2025
Research indicates African elephants can sense vibrations through their ears and feet.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 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 18 May. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share