gator
Americannoun
-
gators
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of gator
An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; shortened form
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:
The AI tool shares its name, Claude, with a 30-year-old albino gator that’s become a local celebrity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2025
One woman on Hilton Head told the Island Packet newspaper that she looked out her window to find she had a pool crasher - a small gator enjoying the shallow end.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2024
“This zydeco band ... can play!” says the gator, adding an excitedly drawn-out “hallelujah” for emphasis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2024
The gator, estimated to be 6 feet long, was corralled by responding Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission personnel.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
Chase, Nicole, and Rashawn were standing — crouching, actually, so they wouldn’t get blown off the road — about thirty feet from the largest gator any of them had ever seen.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
Florida has about 1.3 million alligators, and it is a crime to kill them, although the state euthanizes some 7,000 gators a year to reduce the risk of attacks on humans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The tourists couldn’t believe they were out in the wild with the gators; they crouched down and posed for selfies next to them.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2025
There’s a noticeable pride Morot takes in touring me around his geek’s paradise: a two-level office crammed with shelves of scowling latex heads, furry creatures and a pair of giant gators overlooking it all.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025
“There’s lots of videos and pictures where people handle gators, and they do it without getting hurt. But the more time you spend around them, the more likely you are to be injured.”
From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2024
Serious pancake eaters wouldn’t care what happened to the police car, or even about the gators in the portable potties.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
