coyote

American  

[kahy-oh-tee, kahy-oht] / kaɪˈoʊ ti, ˈkaɪ oʊt /

noun

• coyotes,
  plural
• coyote
  plural

1. Also called prairie wolf. a buffy-gray, wolflike canid, Canis latrans, of North America, distinguished from the wolf by its relatively small size and its slender build, large ears, and narrow muzzle.

2. Slang. a contemptible person, especially an avaricious or dishonest one.

3. American Indian Legend. the coyote regarded as a culture hero and trickster by American Indian tribes of the West.

4. Slang. a person who smuggles immigrants, especially Latin Americans, into the U.S. for a fee.

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coyote British  

/ kɔɪˈəʊt, ˈkɔɪəʊt, kɔɪˈəʊtɪ /

noun

1. Also called: prairie wolf. a predatory canine mammal, Canis latrans, related to but smaller than the wolf, roaming the deserts and prairies of North America

2. (in Native American legends of the West) a trickster and culture hero represented as a man or as an animal

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• coyote
  plural
• coyotes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of coyote

1825–35; earlier cuiota, cayota < Mexican Spanish coyote < Nahuatl coyōtl

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Explanation

A coyote is a wild dog that looks like a small wolf. Coyotes live in nearly every US state, and in most of Canada as well. A coyote is a canine, a relative of the domesticated dog and the wolf. Coyotes are distinctive, different from wolves, because of their relatively small size, delicate paws, and large ears. The word coyote is Mexican Spanish, from an Aztec root, cóyotl, or "trickster." The scientific name of the coyote is Canis latrans, "barking dog" in Latin. Another informal meaning of coyote, used mainly in the US southwest and Mexico, is a smuggler of illegal immigrants.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coyote coyotes

Wildlife officials euthanized a coyote in Atwater Village after a reported attack on a 16-month-old child.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

A lot of the sports that you practice, whether that be hog hunting, coyote hunting, or just hunting, they’re associated with firearms.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

If you have a sloped yard that struggles with runoff, consider planting ground cover, such as buckwheat and coyote brush, which act as a protective carpet over the soil and slow the flow of water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Now, Roebuck says, he was “booger barking” like a riled-up coyote.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

I sniff the air, and it stinks of human smells, but there, on the weak breeze from the direction of sunrise, I smell coyote.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

San Francisco is estimated to be home to around 100 coyotes, living alongside a large human population.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

They and the other dinosaurs — a T. rex, an armored ankylosaurus, a sight-gag-worthy giant snake — adapt to the 20th century as comfortably as coyotes, skulking through backyards in search of prey.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

While they aren’t angry about the coyotes, residents say they want the city to do something about the abandoned site.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Many then pay several thousand dollars to smugglers known as coyotes who take them on a grueling journey across the Brazilian border deep in the Amazon rainforest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

He found out the coyotes he located are not my family and he’s afraid to tell me, that’s it.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

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