zebra

[ zee-bruh; British also zeb-ruh ]

/ ˈzi brə; British also ˈzɛb rə /

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noun, plural ze·bras, (especially collectively) ze·bra.

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 ze·bra but·ter·fly. 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.

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Origin of zebra

1590–1600; 1975–80 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

OTHER WORDS FROM zebra

ze·bra·like, ze·bra·ic

[zi-brey-ik], /zɪˈbreɪ ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby zebra

Zeami, zeatin, zebec, Zebedee, Zeboim, zebra, zebra crossing, zebra finch, zebrafish, zebra label, zebra mussel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use zebra in a sentence

Local news has reported that the zebras were let loose on Saturday or Sunday of last weekend, a period of time during which I was enjoying quiet time at home with family.
D.C. Congresswoman Swears She Didn’t Let a Pack of Zebras Loose|Corbin Bolies|September 10, 2021|The Daily Beast
Taylor said it could take as long as a week for the zebras to be caught.
Zebras run wild after escape from a Maryland farm|Dana Hedgpeth|September 9, 2021|Washington Post
They’re like zebras on high alert for predators, sniffing for danger in the wind before tentatively lowering their heads to take a sip.
The Intersection Is a City’s Watering Hole, and It’s Teeming with Life and Danger|wtaylor|August 20, 2021|Outside Online
That’s half the speed of a galloping zebra or antelope or leopard or lion.
What Made Early Humans Smart - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Kevin Berger|June 30, 2021|Nautilus

It wasn’t Diana Ross, who I loved, who was an early influence on me, but my mom, she’s the first woman I saw with dolman sleeves and a zebra print.
How Jody Watley Reinvented Herself|Joshua Eferighe|June 10, 2021|Ozy
Animal prints abounded: snakeskin booties, leopard-print hot pants, zebra-printed flamingo skirts.
Rodarte’s Ode to Los Angeles|Isabel Wilkinson|September 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Glo-Fish, the neon fluorescent zebra fish, were the first genetically altered organisms to be sold as pets.
Nine Things You Should Know About Genetically Modified Organisms|Melissa Leon|March 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They are pointy, zebra-striped Nike Cole Haans with silver buckles strapped onto her two shiny titanium carbon fiber legs.
Tammy Duckworth on Gun Control, Women in Combat|Sandra McElwaine|February 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Blanco also says that, like Zebra Katz, Le1f is about to experience a crossover.
Too Gay for Hip-Hop? Le1f Takes On Traditionally Homophobic Genre|Melissa Leon|August 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In a really, really short zebra-striped dress and five-inch do-me pumps.
Michaele Salahi, Movin’ On Up|Michelle Cottle|September 16, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In an occasional horse the long-lost stripes of the zebra-like ancestor reappear.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
No fence will keep out a herd of zebra, and in one rush a field of grain is ruined by these giant herds.
In Africa|John T. McCutcheon
That regular variety of the climate of the zebra has never been exhibited by either of them.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VIII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
That night two of us heard the first bark of the zebra, and we thought it must be the bark of distant dogs.
In Africa|John T. McCutcheon
If the horse is the source, or principal trunk, the zebra and the ass will be collateral branches.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon

British Dictionary definitions for zebra (1 of 2)

zebra

/ (ˈziːbrə, ˈzɛbrə) /

noun plural -ras or -ra

any of several mammals of the horse family (Equidae), such as Equus burchelli (the common zebra), of southern and eastern Africa, having distinctive black-and-white striped hides

Derived forms of zebra

zebra-like or zebraic (zɪˈbreɪɪk), adjectivezebrine (ˈziːbraɪn, ˈzɛb-) or zebroid, adjective

Word Origin for zebra

C16: via Italian from Old Spanish: wild ass, probably from Vulgar Latin eciferus (unattested) wild horse, from Latin equiferus, from equus horse + ferus wild

British Dictionary definitions for zebra (2 of 2)

Zebra

/ (ˈziːbrə, ˈzɛbrə) /

noun finance

a noninterest-paying bond in which the accrued income is taxed annually rather than on redemptionCompare zero (def. 12)

Word Origin for Zebra

C20: from zero-coupon bond

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012