Illustration of alligator
- alligator 1
alligator
noun
al·li·ga·tor
ˈa-lə-ˌgā-tər 
1
: either of two large carnivorous, thick-skinned, long-bodied, aquatic, crocodilian reptiles (Alligator mississippiensis of the southeastern U.S. and A. sinensis of China) that have a broad head with a slightly tapered, long, rounded, U-shaped snout and a special pocket in the upper jaw for reception of the enlarged lower fourth tooth
broadly
: crocodilian
2
: leather made from alligator hide
Examples of alligator in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Claude hatched at a Louisiana alligator farm and came to a swamp exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in 2008.
—
Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 16 Sep. 2025
VanEtten said his haul occasionally includes crocodile and alligator teeth.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The alligators of Arctic Canada lay motionless in the swamps to wait out months of polar night, as dawn redwoods filtered the starlight.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Police have charged the mother of a 12-year-old boy who officials believe was killed due to an alligator attack after escaping his room.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alligator
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Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 16 Sep. 2025
VanEtten said his haul occasionally includes crocodile and alligator teeth.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The alligators of Arctic Canada lay motionless in the swamps to wait out months of polar night, as dawn redwoods filtered the starlight.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Police have charged the mother of a 12-year-old boy who officials believe was killed due to an alligator attack after escaping his room.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alligator
Cite this Entry
“Alligator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alligator. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
alligator
noun
al·li·ga·tor
ˈal-ə-ˌgāt-ər
1
: either of two large short-legged reptiles resembling crocodiles but having a shorter and broader snout
2
: leather made from alligator's hide
Etymology
from Spanish el lagarto "the lizard"
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