goanna

American  

[goh-an-uh] / goʊˈæn ə /

noun

1. any of the several large monitor lizards of the family Varanidae, of Australia, especially Varanus varius and V. giganteus, both sometimes growing to 6 feet (1.8 meters).

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goanna British  

/ ɡəʊˈænə /

noun

1. any of various Australian monitor lizards

2. slang a piano

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Etymology

Origin of goanna

First recorded in 1795–1805; aphetic form of iguana

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

goanna

For hours on end, we cruise around, seeing parrots, wallabies, a goanna and a couple of echidnas - but no numbats.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

However, at sites where taste aversion was trialled, goanna populations ranged from 35 per cent to 140 per cent of pre-invasion levels by the time the study finished.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 9, 2024

"The price today or even in the near term isn't really his focus, the focus is where's the price goanna be in the in the future."

From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2023

And my worry is compounded when I fail to spot two species that were once common here: the large monitor lizard called the goanna and a small, spotted carnivorous marsupial, the quoll.

From New York Times ● Aug. 1, 2011

Every night, in bed, we decided twenty times over whether they would be lace-ups or bluchers, and Dave had a bottle of "goanna" oil ready to keep his soft with.

From On Our Selection by Rudd, Steele