gator

American

[gey-ter] / ˈgeɪ tər /

Also gater,

noun

Southern U.S. Informal. alligator.

gator British

/ ˈɡeɪtə /

noun

informal an alligator

"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

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.

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

In “Happy Gilmore,” Sandler’s unlikely golf star confronts the feisty gator played by Morris after a golf ball lands in his toothy jaws.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 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

The gator is 12 feet long and weighs about 600 pounds, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said.

From Washington Times • Dec. 22, 2023

Chase didn’t want to see him get eaten by a gator either, but the result would probably be the same whether they moved him or not.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023