mascot

American  

[mas-kot, -kuht] / ˈmæs kɒt, -kət /

noun

• mascots
  plural

1. an animal, person, or thing adopted by a group as its representative symbol and supposed to bring good luck.

   The U.S. Navy mascot is a goat.

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mascot British  

/ ˈmæskət /

noun

1. a person, animal, or thing considered to bring good luck

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mascots
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mascot

1880–85; < French mascotte < Provençal mascoto talisman, charm, derivative of masco sorceress. See mask

Explanation

A mascot is an animal or character that represents a group. If your high school soccer team is called "the weasels," it means that a weasel must be your school's mascot. Some mascots supposedly bring luck to an organization or club, and others are used as marketing for a team or brand. Smokey the Bear is the mascot of the U.S. Forest Service and stars in commercials urging the public to help prevent forest fires. Tony the Tiger is also a mascot of sorts, for Frosted Flakes cereal. Sports team mascots actually appear at games and matches, dancing around between innings and high-fiving little kids in the stands.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mascot mascots

Crocs on Thursday is introducing a new member of its marketing team: a smiling, 6-foot crocodile mascot named Niles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

In 2002 the port town of Hartlepool elected as mayor the mascot of its football team, H’Angus the Monkey, who went on to serve three terms.

From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026

There is one final bit of irony: Cornell’s longtime unofficial mascot is Touchdown the Big Red Bear, a tradition dating to 1915, when the football team once adopted a live black bear.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

It still has Bob’s Big Boy, the last restaurant of a once-large chain known for its chubby mascot, and Milt & Edie’s, a quirky pink-awninged 24-hour tailor and dry cleaner dating to the 1980s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

The high point of the assembly is the announcement of our new name and mascot.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

But Niles is just one in a new wave of nonhuman brand mascots from recent months that also includes:

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Some marketers have shifted away from mascots, however, in favor of actors, musicians and other human stars who can break through more quickly, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

MD, which used the Olympic rings in its campaign was fined 300,000 as was Butan, which used the Olympic mascots and the rings.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

Some schools retired their old mascots before the bill was introduced.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

In between innings, there’s a cartoon mascot race on the Jumbotron, where you’re supposed to pick one of the Philadelphia mascots and root for it.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison