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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).


goanna British  
/ ɡəʊˈænə /

noun

  1. any of various Australian monitor lizards

  2. slang a piano

"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 goanna

First recorded in 1795–1805; aphetic form of iguana

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:

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

I remember looking down its side when it was swinging me around like a dog with a goanna and I noticed my flippers were about half-way down its length.

From The Guardian Jan. 2, 2019

Other hissing lizards include the Australian blue-tongued skink and the goanna, an Australian monitor lizard that inflates flaps of skin around the throat to make its warning sound.

From National Geographic Oct. 24, 2015

About a mile further on he heard a rustling in the grass to the right, and, looking round, saw another goanna gliding off sideways, with its long snaky neck turned towards him.

From While the Billy Boils by Lawson, Henry

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