hippogriff

American

[hip-uh-grif] / ˈhɪp əˌgrɪf /

Or hippogryph

noun

a fabulous creature resembling a griffin but having the body and hind parts of a horse.

hippogriff British

/ ˈhɪpəʊˌɡrɪf /

noun

a monster of Greek mythology with a griffin's head, wings, and claws and a horse's body

"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 hippogriff

1645–55; earlier hippogryph, Latinized < Italian ippogrifo. See hippo-, griffin ¹

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:

hippogriff

Throughout the ride, the students put their new traits to the test: confronting a hippogriff blocking the tracks, capturing runaway chocolate frogs and facing off a soul-sucking dementor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Still, if you don’t know a horcrux from a hippogriff, feel free to move along — “Beyond the Wand” should only be assigned reading for Hogwarts completists.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 15, 2022

We reimagined the classic hippogriff as a blend of horse and pterosaur.

From Scientific American ● Apr. 9, 2021

In “Cursed Child,” the key instrument is a Time-Turner, similar to the one Hermione used in “The Prisoner of Azkaban” to squeeze extra classes into her schedule and to save Hagrid’s imperiled hippogriff Buckbeak.

From New York Times ● Aug. 1, 2016

Buckbeak the hippogriff was lying in the corner, chomping on something that was oozing blood all over the floor.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023