Meaning & use
elephant
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Meanings
nouncountable
A very large gray mammal with a long trunk, big ears, and tusks, living in Africa and Asia.
Grammar: Countable: one elephant, two elephants. Use 'an' before a vowel sound: an elephant.
Patterns
- a herd of elephants
- an elephant in the room
We saw a baby elephant drinking at the water hole.
Elephants use their trunks to pick up food and spray water.
The zoo has three African elephants and one Asian elephant.
nounsingularfigurative
A very large or important problem that people are avoiding talking about.
Grammar: Used in the phrase 'the elephant in the room'; usually singular.
Patterns
- the elephant in the room
The budget deficit is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss.
His illness was the elephant in the room at the family dinner.
Word forms
| plural | elephants |
|---|
Common combinations
- a herd of elephants
- A herd of elephants crossed the road slowly.
- the elephant in the room
- Everyone knew about the mistake, but it was the elephant in the room.
- elephant tusks
- The illegal trade in elephant tusks is a serious problem.
- a white elephant
- The new stadium became a white elephant after the team moved away.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pachyderm
- An old-fashioned word for a thick-skinned animal like an elephant; now rare and often humorous.
Word family
- elephantine adjective
- Very large and clumsy, like an elephant.
- elephantiasis noun
- A medical condition causing severe swelling of the limbs.
Commonly confused: elephant or elegant? elephant or element?
elephant vs elegant
Elegant means graceful and stylish; elephant is the animal. They sound similar but are completely different.
elephant vs element
An element is a basic part or a chemical substance; an elephant is the large animal.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'elephant' correctly?
Choose one answer.
An elephant is a large mammal that people can ride at a zoo. The other options confuse 'elephant' with a bird, a quantity word like 'loaf', or a plant.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “elephant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.