gator
Americannoun
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
Wally’s popularity soared to new heights last year when the gator was denied entry to a Philadelphia Phillies game.
From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2024
Clay called out to his friends as he got close, “Hullo! Feeling like a little gator stew tonight?”
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
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
The “Alligator Alcatraz” storefront is cartoon gators slyly winking at us from under red baseball caps: It’s just a joke, and you’re in on it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2025
He has also shown gators kept in captivity in presentations to school groups and Boy Scout troops.
From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2024
Jennifer Dean told 10 Tampa Bay: "It's crazy. My kids walk by there all the time. So it's really scary. I've seen four or five-feet gators but nothing that big."
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2023
“The article doesn’t say how big those gators were,” Roy remarked.
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.
