any of several horselike African mammals of the genus Equus, each species having a characteristic pattern of black or dark-brown stripes on a whitish background: all zebra species are threatened or endangered.
Also called zebra butterfly. a tropical butterfly, Heliconius charithonius, having black wings barred with yellow.
(initial capital letter) a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter Z.
Football Slang. an official, who usually wears a black and white striped shirt.
British. zebra crossing.
1590–1600; 1975–80 zebra for def. 4; < Portuguese zebra, zebro the Iberian wild ass ( Spanish cebra ), perhaps < Latin equiferus (Pliny) kind of wild horse, equivalent to equi- (combining form of equus horse) + ferus wild
That black-and-white striped animal that looks like a horse? That's a zebra, a large African animal with hooves that you're most likely to see in a zoo. Like donkeys and horses, zebras are members of the family Equidae, or the horse family. Unlike the horses, however, zebras haven't ever truly been domesticated — so don't count on fulfilling your dream of riding a zebra. Zebra comes from Italian, ultimately going back to the Latin root equiferus, "wild horse." In the U.S., the first syllable of zebra is pronounced "zee," but in the U.K., it has a short e sound, like "tepid" or "web."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A zoo frantically looked for an escaped zebra but discovered the animal on the loose was actually a repainted donkey.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
The incident has drawn comparisons with a 2023 escape of a zebra named Sero from a zoo in Seoul.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
The zebra — named Sero — was eventually cornered in a narrow alley, safely tranquilised and returned to his enclosure without any injuries.
From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026
The KU researcher said the combination of a defocusing magnetospheric plasma and a focusing gravity create in-phase and out-of-phase interference bands of radio-wave intensity that appear as the Crab Pulsar's zebra stripes.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2026
He was at the other end of the lifeboat, where the zebra used to be, turned my way and sitting up, looking as if he’d been patiently waiting for me to notice him.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Zebra Technologies, which makes bar code scanners and printers, concluded in the second quarter that it was likely to get a refund of all $73 million in past tariff payments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The Zebra fire began Monday around 7 p.m. near State Route 39 and Mountain Laurel Way in Azusa and has closed the highway at Sierra Madre Highway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Coming into Tuesday trading, Zebra stock was down 11% this year and down 28% over the past 12 months.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
Online comparison tools like the Zebra or Jerry allow you to compare premiums from different insurance companies based on information about the car and your personal driving history.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 4, 2026
For despite the red carnations in bud vases gracing each booth, despite the zebra-striped menus, matchbooks, and napkins, the Zebra Room itself was empty.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Nina, the landowners' representative, added that unlike the latest incident, previous cases of poisoning in farms had affected zebras and antelopes, which raid the same areas.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The region's Guigang Zoo asked the public for help on Wednesday to find at least 100 animals that had escaped after their enclosures were damaged, including alpacas, miniature pigs, and zebras.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
In contrast, more distant relatives such as donkeys and zebras appear to lack the high frequency component.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026
It sells workhorse beans, Eye of the Goat beans, beans with the spots of a cow and beans striped like zebras.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
One of the zebras spooks, barking and throwing his striped muzzle high in the air.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
