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alligator
[ al-i-gey-ter ]
noun
- either of two broad-snouted crocodilians of the genus Alligator, of the southeastern U.S. and eastern China.
- (loosely) any broad-snouted crocodilian, as a caiman.
- Metallurgy. a machine for bringing the balls of iron from a puddling furnace into compact form so that they can be handled.
- Jazz. an enthusiastic fan of swing.
verb (used without object)
- (of paint, varnish, or the like) to crack and acquire the appearance of alligator hide, as from weathering or improper application to a surface.
- Metalworking. (of a rolled metal slab) to split and curl up and down at one end; fishmouth.
alligator
/ ˈælɪˌɡeɪtə /
noun
- a large crocodilian, Alligator mississipiensis, of the southern US, having powerful jaws and sharp teeth and differing from the crocodiles in having a shorter and broader snout: family Alligatoridae (alligators and caymans)
- a similar but smaller species, A. sinensis, occurring in China near the Yangtse River
- any crocodilian belonging to the family Alligatoridae
- any of various tools or machines having adjustable toothed jaws, used for gripping, crushing, or compacting
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Word History and Origins
Origin of alligator1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of alligator1
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Example Sentences
In another study, children saw a puppet show where a mouse was eaten by an alligator.
No matter what was on that flag—a white buttercup, a corn muffin, the skeleton of an alligator, who knows?
I changed the beach ball to an inflatable alligator and started writing the story to find out what would happen next.
You can even purchase a “Canned Exotic Meat Gift Set,” which includes rattlesnake, alligator, elk, and buffalo.
He can cry alligator tears, condemn the turncoats, appease the Tea Partiers base and remain speaker.
An alligator was observed swimming about, but very few fish were noticed.
We rowed on, now and then knocking a young alligator on the nose as he popped his ugly head out of the water to have a look at us.
For a long time he had set his heart on catching a cayman, a kind of alligator that is found in the rivers of Guiana.
Once a tall crane stalked into view among the sedges; once an unseen alligator shook the silence with his deep, hollow roaring.
The alligator tried to follow her, but the shaft of the paddle caught among some tree trunks and stuck.
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