antelope
Americannoun
-
any of several ruminants of the family Bovidae, chiefly of Africa and Asia, having permanent, hollow, unbranched horns.
-
leather made from the hide of such an animal.
noun
-
any bovid mammal of the subfamily Antilopinae, of Africa and Asia. They are typically graceful, having long legs and horns, and include the gazelles, springbok, impala, gerenuk, blackbuck, and dik-diks
-
any of various similar bovids of Africa and Asia
-
another name for pronghorn
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of antelope
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English antelop, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin antalopus, from Medieval Greek anthólops, a fabulous beast described by Eustathius of Antioch (died 337); origin of word unknown
Compare meaning
How does antelope compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An antelope is an animal that resembles a deer, with four legs, hooves, and antlers. Most antelopes live in Africa. You might see an antelope if you visit a zoo or an exotic game ranch, though their native habitats are the African savannahs or the plains of Asia. Antelopes are fast, with long, slender legs and sleek bodies, and the species includes many different animals, including gazelles. The Greek root of antelope is antholops, a mythical horned creature possibly named for its long eyelashes, from anthos, "flower," and ops, "eye."
Vocabulary lists containing antelope
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A zebra-striped lounging chair to the left and a taxidermied antelope head on the wall behind hint at the wealth and leisure of its titular city — another subject of great interest to Hockney.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
From their back window, they saw grazing cattle, roaming antelope and coyotes on the prowl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Such extremes can also spur desperate pocket gophers and antelope squirrels to strip off their outer layer of bark for sustenance, which can be fatal to the trees.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
After watching thousands of antelope flow over the Tibetan steppe, Mr. Schaller wrote, “for a brief time I was free again.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
And they like being on their own and I hardly ever see them because they are like okapi in the jungle in the Congo, which are a kind of antelope and very shy and rare.
From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon
A genetic adaptation that allows animals such as yaks and Tibetan antelopes to survive in thin air may also point to a new way to repair nerve damage in humans.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2026
Sen. Adam Schiff and California Gov. Gavin Newsom — are rendered as giraffes, turtles, antelopes and other animals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
When the floods spill over Botswana’s Okavango Delta every year, fat antelopes congregate in lush grazing grounds and big predators treat the islands like snack bars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
The apparent calm in the vast park, once teeming with elephants, lions and antelopes, has fuelled local hopes of a resurgence in tourism, despite warnings from Western embassies.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025
“Last week a band of antelopes came up to inspect our skivvies flapping in the breeze!”
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
