mascot

American  

[mas-kot, -kuht] / ˈmæs kɒt, -kət /

noun

• mascots
  plural

1. an animal, person, or thing adopted by a group as its representative symbol and supposed to bring good luck.

   The U.S. Navy mascot is a goat.

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mascot British  

/ ˈmæskət /

noun

1. a person, animal, or thing considered to bring good luck

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mascots
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of mascot

1880–85; < French mascotte < Provençal mascoto talisman, charm, derivative of masco sorceress. See mask

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Explanation

A mascot is an animal or character that represents a group. If your high school soccer team is called "the weasels," it means that a weasel must be your school's mascot. Some mascots supposedly bring luck to an organization or club, and others are used as marketing for a team or brand. Smokey the Bear is the mascot of the U.S. Forest Service and stars in commercials urging the public to help prevent forest fires. Tony the Tiger is also a mascot of sorts, for Frosted Flakes cereal. Sports team mascots actually appear at games and matches, dancing around between innings and high-fiving little kids in the stands.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mascot mascots

Meta’s Muse, a computer errand boy that lives in a smartphone app, has a furry, rotund little mascot.

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

A bank in New Zealand has found itself at the centre of an unlikely free speech row after an attempt to remove "explicit" memes about its sheep mascot from social media.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Chandler, whose son Benjamin was a mascot at all three finals, said it was an overwhelming experience at times for the players too.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Getting to finalize major touchpoints such as the torch relay, the mascot and the medal designs while preparing to makeover existing venues signal excitement and confidence in the organization’s process.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

What kind of pizza place has a porcupine for a mascot?

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Alex Kirshner argues that the rise of these cute little mascots is “a natural pivot point in not just A.I. design but public messaging.”

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

But college football fans chant during games, which feature marching bands and spirit squads - made up of cheerleaders, dancers and mascots.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The two sons of a police officer killed in a crash on Teesside will lead out the Manchester United team as mascots for Sunday's Premier League match against Ipswich at Old Trafford.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

The most likely categories to use mascots are food, insurance, grocery and retail, according to System1, a firm that predicts how ads will perform.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

In between innings, there’s a cartoon mascot race on the Jumbotron, where you’re supposed to pick one of the Philadelphia mascots and root for it.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

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