unicorn

American  

[yoo-ni-kawrn] / ˈju nɪˌkɔrn /

noun

unicorns plural

1. a mythical creature resembling a horse, with a single horn in the center of its forehead: often symbolic of chastity or purity.

2. a heraldic representation of this animal, in the form of a horse with a lion's tail and with a long, straight, and spirally twisted horn.

3. Astronomy. Unicorn, the constellation Monoceros.

4. an animal mentioned in the Bible, Deuteronomy 33:17: now believed by some to be a description of a wild ox or rhinoceros.

5. a former gold coin of Scotland, first issued by James III in 1486, having an obverse bearing the figure of a unicorn.

6. Business. a relatively new company, usually less than ten years old, that is valued at $1 billion or more by public or private investors.

7. a person or thing that is rare and highly valued, or is a hypothetical ideal: Finding jeans that are comfortable and fashionable—that’s my unicorn.

   Hiring unicorns is expensive, but their productivity can take your enterprise to the next level.

   Finding jeans that are comfortable and fashionable—that’s my unicorn.

8. Slang. a bisexual woman who joins an established heterosexual couple in a sexual encounter or relationship.

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idioms

1. chase a / the unicorn, to pursue an unattainable object or impossible goal, especially when diverting effort or resources away from an existing commitment or practical plan.

unicorn British  

/ ˈjuːnɪˌkɔːn /

noun

1. an imaginary creature usually depicted as a white horse with one long spiralled horn growing from its forehead

2. Old Testament a two-horned animal, thought to be either the rhinoceros or the aurochs (Deuteronomy 33:17): mistranslation in the Authorized Version of the original Hebrew

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unicorn Cultural  

1. A mythical animal resembling a small horse but with a long, straight horn growing out of its forehead. Often it was described as having the legs of a deer and the tail of a lion. Some sources claim it was visible only to virgins.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• unicorns
  plural

Etymology

Origin of unicorn

First recorded in 1200–1250; Middle English, from Old French unicorne, from the Latin adjective ūnicornis “one-horned” (used as a noun in the Vulgate and possibly referring to the rhinoceros), a loan translation from the Greek noun and adjective monókerōs, equivalent to uni- “one” + corn(ū) “horn” + -is adjective suffix; see uni-, horn

Explanation

A unicorn is a mythical horse-like creature which has one horn on its forehead. During the Middle Ages, a unicorn horn was said to have magical healing properties. Unicorns show up in many cultures' traditions of folklore and mythology, reaching as far back as Bronze Age civilizations and ancient Greece. Usually, unicorns are presented in art and stories as looking just like horses — or sometimes goats — aside from their long, spiraling horn. The root of the word unicorn is the Latin adjective unicornis, "having one horn," from uni, or "one," and cornus, "horn."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unicorn unicorns

When athletes arrive at this summer's Commonwealth Games in the city, they will be greeted by mascot Finnie, a unicorn with a cone on its head.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

No pet dragons, though — just a baby unicorn, representing the fantasy mascot ruling many of that era’s pre-teen accessory drawers.

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026

I eventually found my elusive unicorn planner, and it’s perfectly fine that he is not someone I spend a great deal of personal time with.

From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026

But Alagna is warning investors to be careful when buying shares in SpaceX or any mega unicorn.

From Barron's ● May 21, 2026

Half-blind, the dead unicorn stumbled toward the green rock needle until it reached a depression at its base, where it dropped to the knees of its forelegs in a ghastly parody of prayer.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

Meanwhile, as capital and investor attention are focused on AI and a handful of companies, experts say, non-AI companies and older unicorns — startups valued at more than $1 billion — face difficulty raising funds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

She called them unicorns to denote their exceptional rareness.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

The other four unicorns on tap for IPOs this week may be slightly less buzzy but are still noteworthy, especially since they’re looking to capture some momentum before SpaceX potentially sucks up all the oxygen.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

Baidu’s chip unit, Kunlunxin, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO, while AI unicorns Moonshot AI and StepFun are also preparing to go public.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Hagrid, who had told them last lesson that they had finished with unicorns, was waiting for them outside his cabin with a fresh supply of open crates at his feet.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling