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 elephant in Sutter Health Park The arrival of the former Oakland baseball franchise this year raised several questions for West Sacramento and the broader region.
—
Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Around 61,000 years ago, the pygmy elephant population crashed, robbing the hobbits of their most critical food source just as the environment began to fail.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
When actor Gérard Depardieu accepted Russian citizenship after a public spat with French authorities, in 2013, Bardot threatened to follow suit if France euthanized two sick circus elephants.
—Ingrid Melander, USA Today, 28 Dec. 2025
Summer Bulbs Summer flowering bulbs, such as Asiatic lily, caladium, dahlia, elephant ears, and tuberous begonias, should be removed from the garden in zones 7 or below, where the ground is frozen solid for much of the winter.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elephant
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Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Around 61,000 years ago, the pygmy elephant population crashed, robbing the hobbits of their most critical food source just as the environment began to fail.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
When actor Gérard Depardieu accepted Russian citizenship after a public spat with French authorities, in 2013, Bardot threatened to follow suit if France euthanized two sick circus elephants.
—Ingrid Melander, USA Today, 28 Dec. 2025
Summer Bulbs Summer flowering bulbs, such as Asiatic lily, caladium, dahlia, elephant ears, and tuberous begonias, should be removed from the garden in zones 7 or below, where the ground is frozen solid for much of the winter.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 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 31 Dec. 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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