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

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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

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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

Carbon isotope measurements suggested that the elephant lived in an environment with a dependable water supply.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

Mrs. Paxton released an ad professing to address “the elephant in the room,” in which she urged Texans to get “the whole team across the finish line”—without naming her estranged husband.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Possibly he thought it would be an elephant in the room when he was doing his act.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

The elephant in the room will be the inability by both countries to seal their long-awaited trade deal, experts say.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

A rather worried-looking policeman did come to the house later that same evening to question Mutti about the elephant we were keeping in our garden.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

This ancient environment supported enormous elephants and some of the region's earliest human populations, revealing how access to water and natural resources may have helped our ancestors survive and move between continents.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

A potential tie-up between DoorDash and Instacart would help the delivery apps address the two biggest elephants in the room for the grocery industry: Walmart and Amazon.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

He has used giraffes, hippos, rhinos, camels and zebras, and now has both bisons and elephants at the Great Moscow Circus, which opened during the Soviet era.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Working alongside Zapashny -- a big-cat trainer and fourth-generation member of the Zapashny circus dynasty -- Deforge is also planning to present a brand-new show featuring seven elephants to the public "soon".

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

But wait: Four or five elephants had been through when the soil was soft enough to take deep imprints.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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