coyote

American  

[kahy-oh-tee, kahy-oht] / kaɪˈoʊ ti, ˈkaɪ oʊt /

noun

plural

coyotes,

plural

coyote

1. Also called prairie wolf.  a buffy-gray, wolflike canid, Canis latrans, of North America, distinguished from the wolf by its relatively small size and its slender build, large ears, and narrow muzzle.

2. Slang. a contemptible person, especially an avaricious or dishonest one.

3. American Indian Legend. the coyote regarded as a culture hero and trickster by American Indian tribes of the West.

4. Slang. a person who smuggles immigrants, especially Latin Americans, into the U.S. for a fee.

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coyote British  

/ kɔɪˈəʊt, ˈkɔɪəʊt, kɔɪˈəʊtɪ /

noun

1. Also called: prairie wolf.  a predatory canine mammal, Canis latrans, related to but smaller than the wolf, roaming the deserts and prairies of North America

2. (in Native American legends of the West) a trickster and culture hero represented as a man or as an animal

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Etymology

Origin of coyote

1825–35; earlier cuiota, cayota < Mexican Spanish coyote < Nahuatl coyōtl

Example Sentences

Donohoo said she ran into the house with her son, and the coyote left.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

A lonely coyote stalks the barren ground around oil pump jacks; a dead deer, its eye milky white, lies on a fern-like blanket of boughs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

My friend was shamed for reporting a coyote sighting in her desert neighborhood on Nextdoor and took the post down.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

Last summer, a 6-year-old boy was attacked by a coyote while watching his sister’s softball game at Del Amo Park in Carson.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

“A guy like me gets around in a lot of different circles. I pick up a little coyote here, a little porcupine there.”

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Related Words

• mutt
• pooch
• pup