walrus
Americannoun
-
walruses,
plural
-
walrus
plural
noun
Usage
Plural word for walrus The plural form of walrus is walruses. The plurals of several other singular words ending in -us are also formed in this way, such as virus/viruses, sinus/sinuses, and syllabus/syllabuses. In some words derived from Latin that end in -us, the irregular plural ending -i may be used instead, as in fungus/fungi and cactus/cacti. However, this ending is not valid for walrus. Walri would be an invalid plural form for walrus.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of walrus
First recorded in 1645–55; from Dutch: literally, “whale horse”; cognate with German Walross, Danish hvalros; compare Old English horshwæl “horse-whale”
Explanation
A walrus is a large mammal that lives in the sea and has big flippers and very long tusks. If you'd like to keep a walrus for a pet, you'll need a big pool full of salt water and plenty of clams, a walrus's favorite snack. Walruses are very distinctive, both for their tusks and whiskers and their size: some male walruses weigh over 2,000 pounds. They are extremely important in Arctic indigenous culture and are referenced frequently in Western culture as well. A couple of famous examples are Lewis Carroll's oyster-eating walrus in "The Walrus and the Carpenter." and the mysterious reference in the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus."
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.
See Examples For:
I took a mat next to the American black bears and American badgers, only slightly jealous that the mats next to the large-scale walrus diorama were taken.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
A walrus with a mug of tea recalls, “I used to be pathologically accommodating. I’d make other people a priority and myself optional.”
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
His walrus mustache, once the world’s most famous facial hair, is white as winter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
The charity monitored the walrus for the rest of the day.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026
He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
Thankfully that never happened thanks to the ship’s stabilizers, allowing me to traverse sea ice, view an unsuccessful polar bear hunt, and photograph wildlife from whales to walruses in comfort.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
"While not a native species to the UK, walruses are a nationally protected species under UK law, and disturbance of them is prohibited."
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026
"Phytoplankton are the primary source of food for krill, the microscopic shrimp that are the main source of food in the Southern Ocean for virtually every animal, including penguins, seals, walruses and whales," Falkowski said.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 12, 2026
“Nature” brings the birds, bees, walruses and whales.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2025
The lounging walruses groaned as she passed by, but they were too comfortable to move.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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.
