caiman
Americannoun
-
caimans
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of caiman
First recorded in 1570–80; from Spanish caimán, from Carib
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He observed tigers in India’s Madhya Pradesh, jaguars and caiman in Brazil’s Pantanal and giant pandas in the Chinese province of Sichuan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Karine Aigner spotted a yellow anaconda coiled around the snout of a yacaré caiman while leading a tour group.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2024
All of the hides were from caiman and pythons bred in captivity.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
The park, known locally as the Lakes, contained the amount of water needed for the caiman, whose natural habitats largely consist of swamps and marshes.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 9, 2023
Under one of the adult caiman’s rear legs, a baby caiman hatches from its egg, and to the left is a coral snake egg.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Fish such as wolf fish, peacock bass, and South American lungfish were especially common, accompanied by reptiles including caimans and turtles, and mammals such as capybaras, pacas, and armadillos.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2025
And keep an eye out for caimans and boas in the water.
From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2022
Conservationists say up to 5,000 caimans are living in rivers and lagoons across the densely-populated neighbourhoods in the west of Brazil's famous city.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2022
Some parts of the river look like a swamp, with shallow, dark water full of caimans.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 22, 2021
The caiman was not one of large size, else the turtle would have fled from it, not that even the largest caimans are feared by the full-grown carapas.
From The Forest Exiles The Perils of a Peruvian Family in the Wilds of the Amazon by Harrison Weir
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
