mongoose

American  

[mong-goos, mon-] / ˈmɒŋˌgus, ˈmɒn- /

noun

plural

mongooses

1. a slender, ferretlike carnivore, Herpestes edwardsi, of India, that feeds on rodents, birds, and eggs, noted especially for its ability to kill cobras and other venomous snakes.

2. any of several other animals of this genus or related genera.

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mongoose British  

/ ˈmɒŋˌɡuːs /

noun

1. any small predatory viverrine mammal of the genus Herpestes and related genera, occurring in Africa and from S Europe to SE Asia, typically having a long tail and brindled coat

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Usage

Plural word for mongoose The plural form of mongoose is mongooses (not mongeese). The plurals of some other singular words that end in -oose are also formed this way, including caboose/cabooses and papoose/papooses. The plural mongooses is confusing because the plural of goose is the irregular form geese, which derives directly from its original pluralization in Old English. However, the term mongoose only uses the standard English plural -s ending.

Etymology

Origin of mongoose

1690–1700; < Marathi mangūs, variant of muṅgūs

Example Sentences

However, unrestrained hunting, habitat loss and predation by the invasive mongoose left fewer than 30 in the wild by 1952.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025

Their female generals lead troops of between 6 and 40 of these little berserker weasels into battle with a plan of attack coordinated beside grizzly mongoose war veterans.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2024

According to James, Margaret, and their teenage daughter Voirrey Irving, the mongoose spoke in a high-pitched voice and in multiple different languages.

From National Geographic • Sep. 19, 2023

Meerkats, slender-tailed creatures with pointy faces, are members of the mongoose family and are native to Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

From New York Times • Jun. 15, 2023

He had the form of some creature like a mongoose, but red-gold in color and smaller.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman