any of several horselike African mammals of the genus Equus, each species having a characteristic pattern of black or dark-brown stripes on a whitish background: all zebra species are threatened or endangered.
Also called zebra butterfly. a tropical butterfly, Heliconius charithonius, having black wings barred with yellow.
(initial capital letter) a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter Z.
Football Slang. an official, who usually wears a black and white striped shirt.
British. zebra crossing.
1590–1600; 1975–80 zebra for def. 4; < Portuguese zebra, zebro the Iberian wild ass ( Spanish cebra ), perhaps < Latin equiferus (Pliny) kind of wild horse, equivalent to equi- (combining form of equus horse) + ferus wild
That black-and-white striped animal that looks like a horse? That's a zebra, a large African animal with hooves that you're most likely to see in a zoo. Like donkeys and horses, zebras are members of the family Equidae, or the horse family. Unlike the horses, however, zebras haven't ever truly been domesticated — so don't count on fulfilling your dream of riding a zebra. Zebra comes from Italian, ultimately going back to the Latin root equiferus, "wild horse." In the U.S., the first syllable of zebra is pronounced "zee," but in the U.K., it has a short e sound, like "tepid" or "web."
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“Life is all about perspective. If you ask the grass, the zebra is the monster and the lion is the protector,” Price wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Faded zebra crossings are treated as little more than road markings no-one respects.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
A zoo frantically looked for an escaped zebra but discovered the animal on the loose was actually a repainted donkey.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
Medvedev believes the core mechanism behind the zebra stripes is now largely understood, though further refinements may improve precision.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2026
Their African equivalents—such as the African buffalo, zebra, bush pig, rhino, and hippopotamus—have never been domesticated, not even in modern times.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Zebra Technologies, which makes bar code scanners and printers, concluded in the second quarter that it was likely to get a refund of all $73 million in past tariff payments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The Zebra fire began Monday around 7 p.m. near State Route 39 and Mountain Laurel Way in Azusa and has closed the highway at Sierra Madre Highway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Tuesday morning, Zebra reported External link earnings per share of $4.75, up 18.2% year over year, from sales of $1.5 billion, up 14.3% year over year.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
Only 60% people have this coverage, however, according to the latest statistics compiled by the Zebra, an online insurance broker.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 9, 2026
At that moment, however, the figure that has been approaching the Zebra Room enters my field of vision.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
The 29,000-acre expanse of savannah and woodlands sits on the city’s edge, near two airports, yet it is home to lions, zebras and Maasai giraffes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
In contrast, more distant relatives such as donkeys and zebras appear to lack the high frequency component.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026
In recent weeks, hundreds of giraffes, zebras, and antelopes have been removed from the Kedong Ranch, on the shores of tourist hotspot Lake Naivasha.
From Barron's ● Nov. 17, 2025
I love zebras, so you can tell I have the coat, the boots with the fringe, all with the black skirt and the blouse.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2025
In Portland, eighteen draft horses, two zebras, and a smithy.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
