unicorn

American  

[yoo-ni-kawrn] / ˈyu nɪˌkɔrn /

noun

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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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; uni-, horn

Example Sentences

Set up alongside Colombian Sebastián Noguera, Habi has emerged as a leader in the Latin American tech sector, with unicorn status after a $200m round of funding.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

The irreverent news website had seemingly cracked the code for social-media virality, and would soon become one of the first digital-media startups to achieve unicorn status with a valuation of over $1 billion.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

The crypto start-up, considered a unicorn because of its hefty $1 billion-plus valuation, said late Wednesday that it raised $212.8 million in an offering.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

It lies within the faint but imaginative constellation Monoceros, which represents a unicorn in star maps.

From Science Daily • Dec. 25, 2025

One unicorn, pure white with a silver blaze to its face, bent its soft white muzzle to his side.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell