elephant

American  

[el-uh-fuhnt] / ˈɛl ə fənt /

noun

elephants, plural elephant plural

1. 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.

2. a representation of this animal, used in the United States since 1874 as the emblem of the Republican Party.

3. Chiefly British. a size of drawing or writing paper, 23 × 28 inches (58 × 71 centimeters).

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idioms

1. elephant in the room. see elephant in the room.

elephant British  

/ ˈɛlɪfənt /

noun

1. 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

2. a size of writing paper, 23 by 28 inches

3. an obvious truth deliberately ignored by all parties in a situation

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elephant Cultural  

1. 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.)

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elephant More Idioms  

1. see see the elephant; white elephant.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• elephantoid
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• elephant
  plural
• elephants
  plural

Etymology

Origin of elephant

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (from Anglo-French ), from Latin elephantus, from Greek elephant- (stem of eléphās ) “elephant”; replacing Middle English olifaunt, from Anglo-French, from unattested Vulgar Latin olifantus, for Latin elephantus

Explanation

An elephant is an enormous, four-footed animal with big ears and a long trunk. By weight, elephants are the largest land-dwelling animals. The largest species of elephant, the African savanna elephant, weighs up to 14,000 pounds! African elephants usually have long, curved tusks; some male Asian elephants have tusks, but females do not. You can look at an elephants' ears to help distinguish between African and Asian elephants: African elephants have large, fan-shaped ears, while Asian elephants have smaller, more rounded ears. Elephants use their long trunks for grasping things, vocalizing, and sucking up water. These herbivores travel around foraging in large, tight-knit groups of females and their young. Adult males tend to be more solitary.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

elephant elephants

Officials say this is the first time in decades that elephant mortalities on this scale have been recorded in the region where they have successfully cracked down on poaching.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Its unusual thickness indicates that it came from either an elephant or a mammoth.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026

There’s an elephant in the room in every scene, and its lens follows the subject everywhere.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

"It's sort of the elephant in the room surrounding the company," said Nelson.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

And then she started talking about Marlene again, the young elephant she had almost adopted by now.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

He lent his celebrity to the campaign against the illegal trade in ivory, warning that poachers kill thousands of elephants a year.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

"Some of these minerals are finite and future generations may never see them. We do not want them to inherit white elephants," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

Other fossils found in the same formation include elephants and crocodiles, animals that are no longer native to Japan.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

He boxes to relax, and as an early inspiration cites the Roman general Scipio, who with shrewd tactics defeated Carthaginian Hannibal and his war elephants to win a seemingly impossible battle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

When she went lame and lagged behind the other elephants, the circus sold her to Mack.

From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate

Related Words

• boar