gazelle

American  

[guh-zel] / gəˈzɛl /

noun

gazelles, plural gazelle plural

1. any small antelope of the genus Gazella and allied genera, of Africa and Asia, noted for graceful movements and lustrous eyes.

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gazelle British  

/ ɡəˈzɛl /

noun

1. any small graceful usually fawn-coloured antelope of the genera Gazella and Procapra, of Africa and Asia, such as G. thomsoni ( Thomson's gazelle )

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gazelle-like
  adjective
• gazellelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gazelle
  plural
• gazelles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gazelle

1575–85; < French; Old French gazel < Arabic ghazāla

Compare meaning

How does gazelle compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• antelope vs. gazelle

Explanation

A gazelle is a graceful little antelope that's native to Africa and Asia. Gazelles are extremely fast, running at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. Gazelles need to be speedy, since their predators include cheetahs, lions, and leopards. These elegant, long-legged animals were frequently used in ancient Arabic and Persian literature, usually as a symbol of female beauty, and gazelle comes from the Arabic ghazal, a lyric love poem typically set to music. The ancient Hebrew "Song of Songs" also includes a symbolic gazelle: "Come away, my beloved, and be like a gazelle."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gazelle gazelles

During closing arguments in the Los Angeles case a week and a half ago, Mark Lanier, an attorney representing Kaley, compared the companies to a lion preying on a herd of gazelle on the Serengeti.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

The Attorney General‘s Office of the State of Baja California announced that Cesar Hernandez, 35, was captured on Thursday in a special operation dubbed “Gacela,” meaning gazelle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025

The media engaged in a feeding frenzy like lions having downed a hapless gazelle.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2024

Sitaram, an animal conservationist in the city of Bikaner in Rajasthan who goes by one name, said that endangered chinkaras — also known as Indian gazelle — are facing a shortage for water.

From Seattle Times ● May 28, 2024

I did not jump, or hop, or run—I leaped like a gazelle.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen

Here, approximately 1.3 million wildebeest, accompanied by about 200,000 zebras and 400,000 gazelles, cover up to 3,000 kilometers annually in a clockwise cycle that follows seasonal rainfall patterns.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 12, 2024

At the site, known as Shinfa-Metema 1, the researchers uncovered thousands of bones, some covered in cut marks, from gazelles, warthogs and even giraffes, suggesting that the humans were hunting these species.

From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2024

The piled stones are often little more than lines on the desert floor, and Crassard notes that gazelles and antelopes would have been able to easily leap over them.

From Scientific American ● May 17, 2023

These Terps are grinders, not gazelles, and shortening the game against a team that averaged 82.6 points — fifth in the nation — was the best philosophy.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 19, 2023

We hunted gazelles and antelope and buffalo whose migrations ebbed and flowed with the seasons.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan