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

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

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

“Here’s a coyote with her face swollen to the point where her eyes are shut and her tongue is hanging out, surviving in the Valley in 100-degree heat,” Rulon said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

And who better to teach a down-and-out lawyer about courage and gumption than a coyote who has persevered in the face of certain failure?

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

A coyote is bathed in red light; a cougar stalks near a grand piano; a man stands in a tropical jungle surrounded by mist; a pay phone off the hook dangles by its cord.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The coyote was at the edge of the forest surrounding the marshland.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

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

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Wolves will defend their territory, so they can pose a risk to nearby dogs and coyotes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 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

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

The chirp of the flying lizards here, singing to their friends high above us in the trees, sounds like the coyotes singing back home.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

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