unicorn
a mythical creature resembling a horse, with a single horn in the center of its forehead: often symbolic of chastity or purity.
a heraldic representation of this animal, in the form of a horse with a lion's tail and with a long, straight, and spirally twisted horn.
Unicorn, Astronomy. the constellation Monoceros.
an animal mentioned in the Bible, Deuteronomy 33:17: now believed by some to be a description of a wild ox or rhinoceros.
a former gold coin of Scotland, first issued by James III in 1486, having an obverse bearing the figure of a unicorn.
Business. a relatively new company, usually less than ten years old, that is valued at $1 billion or more by public or private investors.
a person or thing that is rare and highly valued, or is a hypothetical ideal: Hiring unicorns is expensive, but their productivity can take your enterprise to the next level.Finding jeans that are comfortable and fashionable—that’s my unicorn.
Slang. a bisexual woman who joins an established heterosexual couple in a sexual encounter or relationship.
Idioms about unicorn
chase a / the unicorn, to pursue an unattainable object or impossible goal, especially when diverting effort or resources away from an existing commitment or practical plan.
Origin of unicorn
1Words Nearby unicorn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use unicorn in a sentence
Lee was an early investor in the education technology startup that hit unicorn status last year.
‘Don’t wait to be perfect:’ 4 top startup tips from a unicorn’s founder and investor | Beth Kowitt | September 6, 2020 | FortuneFew other markets are able to fund the listing of so many unicorns.
How Tesla led the way for Chinese rival Xpeng’s $1.5 billion IPO | eamonbarrett | August 28, 2020 | FortuneCities outside the US are attracting more funding, generating more unicorns, and creating thriving startup ecosystems.
The rest of the startup world is catching up to Silicon Valley | Walter Frick | July 17, 2020 | QuartzScientists might use the tools of bioengineering to cobble together the traits of a unicorn from other creatures.
So unicorns that evolved from albino horses might not be all that healthy.
One image in the film also stuck in my craw: a shot of a little boy in the audience holding up his white stuffed unicorn.
The Stacks: Pauline Kael's Talking Heads Obsession | Pauline Kael | November 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHer very first sculpture, a metallic chrome unicorn aptly titled “Space Oracle,” sits on a pedestal directly in front.
The victory in 1950 over England is precious, but in the way a unicorn might be: to be regarded wide-eyed, and scarcely believed.
Stars and Stripes 2, Black Stars 1: Team USA Takes a Win From Ghana | Tunku Varadarajan | June 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTPerhaps the name “unicorn” tells you how common it is for women to swing with couples.
Dan worked hard and made a good picture: mountains, timber, blue sky…and in the foreground a blond girl and a unicorn.
There are three there, Bill, with a jolly large blue unicorn and a gold pitchfork on em, which is the old ladys arms.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3) | Charles DickensThe unicorn lost almost all its officers, and about a hundred and forty men.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington MacaulayAbel Sneed, the unicorn boss, as a matter of precaution went through their 'war bags' while they slept.
David Lannarck, Midget | George S. HarneyAt the entrance, there is a glass screen, ornamentally got up and surmounted with a small lion and unicorn design.
Our Churches and Chapels | AtticusHe saw that the unicorn was a bull considerably larger than the average.
Space Prison | Tom Godwin
British Dictionary definitions for unicorn
/ (ˈjuːnɪˌkɔːn) /
an imaginary creature usually depicted as a white horse with one long spiralled horn growing from its forehead
Old Testament a two-horned animal, thought to be either the rhinoceros or the aurochs (Deuteronomy 33:17): mistranslation in the Authorized Version of the original Hebrew
Origin of unicorn
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for unicorn
A mythical animal resembling a small horse but with a long, straight horn growing out of its forehead. Often it was described as having the legs of a deer and the tail of a lion. Some sources claim it was visible only to virgins.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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