Illustration of unicorn
unicorn
noun
uni·corn
ˈyü-nə-ˌkȯrn 
plural unicorns
1
a
: a mythical, usually white animal generally depicted with the body and head of a horse with long flowing mane and tail and a single often spiraled horn in the middle of the forehead
b
: an animal mentioned in the Bible that is usually considered an aurochs, a one-horned rhinoceros, or an antelope
2
: something unusual, rare, or unique
There's the elusive unicorn: headphones that do everything well and work in any situation.—
Damon Darlin
Damon DarlinIn Washington, D.C., truth is now a veritable unicorn.—Marilyn M. Singleton
Marilyn M. Singleton… he's like baseball's version of a unicorn—a true two-way player.—Tony Paul
Tony Paul3
business
: a start-up that is valued at one billion dollars or more
… a tech unicorn in Michigan is even more of a rarity, far from Silicon Valley's investor echo chamber.—Scott Martin
Scott MartinThe blockbuster initial public offering is expected to kick off a revitalized market this year, encouraging IPO debuts by other unicorns, the privately held start-ups whose hefty venture capital funds have allowed them to avoid Wall Street and the legal requirements of a public offering.—Jon Swartz
Jon Swartz
Examples of unicorn in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the visual, the actor and musician eye each other across a dance floor, then bust out laser guns and start shooting (taking out a few unicorns in the process), before Kesha reigns victorious.
—Anna Chan, Billboard, 11 Feb. 2026
Spruce tips and wild garlic sit in jars on the shelves, a unicorn gallops across a tapestry on one wall, and there’s a woodburning stove to gather around.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Vionic is this travel shoe unicorn, with major markdowns happening right now.
—Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 9 Feb. 2026
Could a little notebook with a glittery unicorn on the cover save him?
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unicorn
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Anna Chan, Billboard, 11 Feb. 2026
Spruce tips and wild garlic sit in jars on the shelves, a unicorn gallops across a tapestry on one wall, and there’s a woodburning stove to gather around.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Vionic is this travel shoe unicorn, with major markdowns happening right now.
—Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 9 Feb. 2026
Could a little notebook with a glittery unicorn on the cover save him?
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unicorn
Cite this Entry
“Unicorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unicorn. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unicorn
noun
uni·corn
ˈyü-nə-ˌkȯ(ə)rn
: an imaginary animal generally represented with the body and head of a horse and a single horn in the middle of the forehead
Etymology
Middle English unicorne "unicorn," from early French unicorne (same meaning), derived from Latin unicornis "having one horn," from uni- "one" and cornu "horn" — related to corn entry 3, universe
Medical Definition
unicorn
adjective
uni·corn
ˈyü-nə-ˌkȯ(ə)rn
: having a single horn or hornlike process
a unicorn uterus
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