gator

or ga·ter, ’ga·ter

[ gey-ter ]

/ ˈgeɪ tər /

noun

Southern U.S. Informal. alligator.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of gator

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; shortened form

Words nearby gator

gatineau, gating, gatlinburg, gatling, gatling gun, gator, gatorade, gatt, gatun, gatun lake, gatvol

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for gator

The Tea Party candidate also released his first TV ad, "Gator."
Palin Backs Alligator Taming Senate Candidate|Olivia Nuzzi|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Translation: Talk to Ya Later, Ta Ta for Now, and Later, Gator.
Should This Woman's Books Be Banned?|Abigail Pesta|April 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Almost no one comes to ride the airboats or stare at the leathery monsters in the gator pit.
Great Weekend Reads|The Daily Beast|February 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The 'gator was taken with a "fly" tied on a shark-hook, the hackled body being a squirrel's tail, with wings of a small seagull.
Fishing With The Fly|Charles F. Orvis and Others

He held the jaws of the 'gator shut while Dick seized the hind legs of the reptile, and together they carried the creature ashore.
Dick in the Everglades|A. W. Dimock
People who live where he does call him just 'Gator, but you and I would call him Alligator.
Mother West Wind "Where" Stories|Thornton W. Burgess
I didn't know about Fritz; but please don't blame me, Beth, even if the 'gator did eat him.
A Little Florida Lady|Dorothy C. Paine
"Especially when a 'gator is chasing you," reminded Ned Rector.
The Pony Rider Boys in Louisiana|Frank Gee Patchin

British Dictionary definitions for gator

gator

gater

/ (ˈɡeɪtə) /

noun

mainly US informal an alligator

Word Origin for gator

C19

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