iguana

American  

[ih-gwah-nuh] / ɪˈgwɑ nə /

noun

• iguanas
  plural

1. a large, arboreal lizard, Iguana iguana, native to Central and South America, having stout legs and a crest of spines from neck to tail.

2. any of various related lizards of the genera Iguana, Ctenosaura, Conolophus, and Amblyrhynchus.

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iguana British  

/ ɪˈɡwɑːnə /

noun

1. either of two large tropical American arboreal herbivorous lizards of the genus Iguana, esp I. iguana ( common iguana ), having a greyish-green body with a row of spines along the back: family Iguanidae

2. Also called: iguanid.  any other lizard of the tropical American family Iguanidae

3. another name for leguaan

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• iguanian
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• iguanas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of iguana

1545–55; < Spanish < Arawak iwana

Explanation

An iguana is a big lizard with distinctive spines running down its back. If you keep an iguana as a pet, you'll want to feed it a lot of fresh vegetables. Iguanas look a little intimidating, since they grow as large as six feet long to the tip of the tail and have a head that resembles a dinosaur. While pet iguanas can sometimes be somewhat aggressive, they can be tamed with enough handling. The word iguana is Spanish, and it comes from a West Indies language, Arawak, and its word for this particular kind of lizard, iwana.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

iguana iguanas

At one fishing spot, a big mama iguana and eight babies scramble into the underbrush; it felt like a scene from “Jurassic Park.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Discussing unmade films and dealing with an unruly pet iguana, Panahi renders an illuminating self-portrait.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2025

One of them stuck though - a report of an iguana stuck on the roof of a house.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025

A new iguana joins Asia's rich reptile fauna, officially described as new to science in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 27, 2023

So Nim blew iguana kisses into the phone and went back to the hut, and the breeze flicked her hair and was cool against her cheek.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

Across the archipelago, marine iguanas routinely stretch out across boardwalks and walking paths, forcing tourists to either wait patiently or find another route.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The Galápagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador are famous for animals found nowhere else on Earth, including giant tortoises and marine iguanas.

From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026

She stumbled over several words and spoke about everything from the price of coffee in Italy to iguanas in the United States, leaving her co-hosts in the studio bemused.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

Mason had stumbled over her words and talked about iguanas and the price of coffee as she reported on the day's sports events.

From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026

Their hoods and thick coats make them look like the fat iguanas that cling to the bright-red flamboyant trees back home.

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi