elephant
a very large herbivorous mammal of the family Elephantidae, the only extant family of proboscideans and comprising the genera Loxodonta (African elephants) and Elephas (Asian elephants): Elephants of all species are characterized by a long, prehensile trunk formed of the nose and upper lip, pillarlike legs, and prominent tusks, which are possessed by both sexes of Loxodonta and just the males of Elephas.: See also white elephant (def. 3).
a representation of this animal, used in the United States since 1874 as the emblem of the Republican Party.
Chiefly British. a size of drawing or writing paper, 23 × 28 inches (58 × 71 centimeters).
Idioms about elephant
elephant in the room. See entry at elephant in the room.
Origin of elephant
1word story For elephant
Other words from elephant
- el·e·phan·toid, adjective
Words Nearby elephant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use elephant in a sentence
Yet cetaceans and elephants can fast for much longer, “and this somehow tells us that they must have found different ways to fuel their brain during periods of starvation,” Hiller said.
By Losing Genes, Life Often Evolved More Complexity | Viviane Callier | September 1, 2020 | Quanta MagazineThe tusks of the dead elephants are still in place and, as yet, no other species have died under similar circumstances.
Scientists have some theories on why hundreds of elephants are mysteriously dying in Botswana | Vicky Boult | July 7, 2020 | QuartzThe new study reopens the long-running debate over whether elephants truly get tipsy gorging on marula fruit.
Why elephants and armadillos might easily get drunk | Susan Milius | June 4, 2020 | Science News For StudentsDescriptions of elephants behaving oddly after binging on overripe fruit go back at least to 1875, Janiak says.
Why elephants and armadillos might easily get drunk | Susan Milius | June 4, 2020 | Science News For StudentsPrevious administrations, Democrat or Republican, had not really confronted China as the elephant in the room.
Does the President Matter as Much as You Think? (Ep. 404) | Stephen J. Dubner | February 6, 2020 | Freakonomics
Marcel the elephant takes readers on a journey through his life, recounting his memories full of travel and adventure.
The Daily Beast’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Blue Ivy in Your Life | Allison McNearney | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis video, shot in Zambia, shows a young elephant being attacked by a pride of 14 lions.
Young Elephant Takes on 14 Lions and Survives! | Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video | November 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBy 1998, their star elephant, Kenny, became ill and was ordered not to perform by a circus veterinarian.
The gentle, erudite soul within a body the public considered an oddity is the contrast at the heart of “The elephant Man.”
Want to fight ‘Taxers’ and ‘Mudslingers’ as a patriotic elephant in the new ‘Giopi: 2014 Mission Majority’?
The GOP's Weird Anti-Dem Video Game, Starring a Frat-Boy Elephant | Asawin Suebsaeng | August 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe female elephant killed by our hunters at this time was a comparatively small one.
Hunting the Lions | R.M. BallantyneThe elephant ran straight on and went right through the whole party, but came near no one.
Hunting the Lions | R.M. BallantyneThe elephant did not follow, but the hunters, having discovered her retreat, were not slow to follow and attack her.
Hunting the Lions | R.M. BallantyneBut he soon got over his fear, and was so busy feeding the elephant, that his papa had to coax him away.
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1 | VariousSuddenly the elephant trumpeted aloud as though men had goaded him.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard Kipling
British Dictionary definitions for elephant
/ (ˈɛlɪfənt) /
either of the two proboscidean mammals of the family Elephantidae . The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the larger species, with large flapping ears and a less humped back than the Indian elephant (Elephas maximus), of S and SE Asia
mainly British a size of writing paper, 23 by 28 inches
elephant in the room an obvious truth deliberately ignored by all parties in a situation
Origin of elephant
1Derived forms of elephant
- elephantoid, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for elephant
A symbol (see also symbol) of the Republican party, introduced in a series of political cartoons by Thomas Nast during the congressional elections of 1874. (Compare donkey.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with elephant
see see the elephant; white elephant.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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