capybara

American  

[kap-uh-bahr-uh] / ˌkæp əˈbɑr ə /

Or capibara

noun

• capybaras
  plural

1. a South American tailless rodent, Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris, living along the banks of rivers and lakes, having partly webbed feet: the largest living rodent.

---

capybara British  

/ ˌkæpɪˈbɑːrə /

noun

1. the largest rodent: a pig-sized amphibious hystricomorph, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, resembling a guinea pig and inhabiting river banks in Central and South America: family Hydrochoeridae

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• capybaras
  plural

Etymology

Origin of capybara

1765–75; < New Latin < Portuguese capibara < Tupi

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

capybara capybaras

Two rare snow leopard cubs have been born at the park, alongside Himalayan monals and red deer, as well as Bru the capybara, Snoot the giant armadillo and Atty the sloth at Edinburgh Zoo.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Some locals think the capybara is thriving in her newfound independence, enjoying the hot summer from thick Hampshire brambles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Moores has taken his drones out as many as 30 times, mostly at night and in the early morning, when thermal imaging works better—and the capybara, a crepuscular species, is most active.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Not her specifically, but her kind—she’s a capybara, a type of rodent.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

John came up, and on examining the animal’s mouth, we found it to be a rodent, and thus knew it to be a capybara, the largest of its order.

From On the Banks of the Amazon by William H. C. Groome

On social media, people have gotten even more creative, photoshopping capybaras into Southampton destinations like pubs, shopping malls and the local soccer club’s stadium.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

It’s one of the largest concentrations of capybaras in São Paulo, though its exact number of members fluctuates.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

Later, in 2018, a photographer named Katsuhito Watanabe exploded in popularity outside his native Japan with his videos of capybaras in yuzu baths.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

Helping capybaras and other wild and stray animals brought her to the river more often, and the pandemic-era closure of a flavored-vodka factory she managed led to her career change.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

Agoutis, peccaries, capybaras, kangaroos, game of all sorts, actually swarmed there, and Spilett and Herbert were too good marksmen ever to throw away their shot uselessly.

From Abandoned by Jules Verne