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

Explanation

A coyote is a wild dog that looks like a small wolf. Coyotes live in nearly every US state, and in most of Canada as well. A coyote is a canine, a relative of the domesticated dog and the wolf. Coyotes are distinctive, different from wolves, because of their relatively small size, delicate paws, and large ears. The word coyote is Mexican Spanish, from an Aztec root, cóyotl, or "trickster." The scientific name of the coyote is Canis latrans, "barking dog" in Latin. Another informal meaning of coyote, used mainly in the US southwest and Mexico, is a smuggler of illegal immigrants.

Example Sentences

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

The incident comes during coyote mating season, which typically runs from January through March and peaks in February, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Agricultural Commissioner.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Mama!’ and when I looked at him there was a massive coyote right behind him,” his mother, Aida Svelto, told The Times in an interview Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

A table has been set up for us, and we put out the coyote pelt and the stack of handouts I printed at school.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Related Words

• mutt
• pooch
• pup