safari
Americannoun
plural
safaris-
a journey or expedition, for hunting, exploration, or investigation, especially in eastern Africa.
-
the hunters, guides, vehicles, equipment, etc., forming such an expedition.
-
any long or adventurous journey or expedition.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
an overland journey or hunting expedition, esp in Africa
-
any recreational journey or expedition
-
the people, animals, etc, that go on the expedition
Etymology
Origin of safari
1885–90; < Swahili < Arabic safar journey
Explanation
A trip to watch wild animals — especially in Africa — is called a safari. If you travel to South Africa to photograph elephants in their natural habitat, you're on safari. In Swahili, safari means "journey" or "expedition." The word has been used in English since the late 19th century to talk about hunting trips to Africa, the clothing these hunters would wear, and more recently, a journey taken to observe or photograph African animals. These days when someone talks about going on safari, they are probably planning to visit an African wildlife refuge or park.
Vocabulary lists containing safari
Travel
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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.
He said when he heard the sculpture would be in the safari park's secret garden, he was "very excited" as the location was "perfect for it".
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
He recalled donning tuxedos and carrying toy guns pretending to be James Bond on a European yacht vacation and soaring over the Serengeti in a hot air balloon during an East African safari.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026
She spent more than three years developing an ultra-luxury resort, at one point sleeping in safari camps throughout the property’s 750 acres to get a feel for the land.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025
They found out that "safari" tourists would fly from the northern Italian border city of Trieste and then travel to the hills above Sarajevo.
From BBC • Nov. 12, 2025
Grunt showed us a picture of an older woman who looked like she’d just gotten back from an African safari, seated in a bizarre chair made of horns.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
