sea cow
Americannoun
-
any sirenian, as the manatee or dugong.
-
Obsolete. the hippopotamus.
noun
-
any sirenian mammal, such as a dugong or manatee
-
an archaic name for walrus
Etymology
Origin of sea cow
First recorded in 1605–15
Compare meaning
How does sea-cow compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
The team documented sea cow remains at more than 170 separate locations across the site.
From Science Daily • Dec. 12, 2025
In re-creating that vanished historical system that included the Steller’s sea cow, we could see a more diverse forest where the understory competed better with kelp.
From Scientific American • Oct. 15, 2023
Remember Steller’s sea cow or that ground-dwelling pigeon, the dodo?
From Slate • Feb. 20, 2023
A "sea cow" that evoked tales of mermaids is being driven to the edge of extinction, conservation experts warn.
From BBC • Dec. 9, 2022
The collision with the sea cow had rattled me—I couldn’t help wondering what other creatures might be cruising around the dark cloudy basin.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
