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capybara

American  
[kap-uh-bahr-uh] / ˌkæp əˈbɑr ə /
Or capibara

noun

capybaras plural
  1. a South American tailless rodent, Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris, living along the banks of rivers and lakes, having partly webbed feet: the largest living rodent.


capybara British  
/ ˌkæpɪˈbɑːrə /

noun

  1. the largest rodent: a pig-sized amphibious hystricomorph, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, resembling a guinea pig and inhabiting river banks in Central and South America: family Hydrochoeridae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of capybara

1765–75; < New Latin < Portuguese capibara < Tupi

Vocabulary lists containing capybara

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.

Capybara merch is wildly popular in the zoo’s gift shops, which sell 25,000 capybara-themed items a year: almost 7,000 plush toys, plus keychains, backpacks, cups, caps, bottles, slippers, and lamps.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

Anthropic’s new large-language model, Mythos, includes a top-tier system, Capybara, with advanced cyber capabilities.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

In early 2025 the pair launched Capybara Café of Querétaro.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

She added: "Capybara baby Tango demanded cuddles from the author, lemur Clementine happily settled down next to her, and meerkat Blossom sat on her lap to listen to the story."

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2024

On January second, Year of the Capybara, the day before Winter Conclave, Scythe Curie took Citra on the long drive to the MidMerica Capitol Building.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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