gazelles

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   Small, slender antelopes with long legs and curved horns that live in the grasslands and deserts of Africa and Asia.

   Grammar: Countable: one gazelle, two gazelles; the plural can also stay gazelle after a number.

   Patterns

   • a herd of gazelles
   • gazelles graze on grass
   • a gazelle leaps over something

   We watched a herd of gazelles run across the open plain.

   Gazelles can reach speeds of around 60 miles per hour when a predator chases them.

   A single gazelle broke away from the group and disappeared into the tall grass.

2. 2nouncountablebusinessfigurative

   A person or company that grows very quickly and is seen as full of energy and new ideas, especially in business.

   Grammar: Countable and often used in business writing; usually in the plural when talking about a group of such companies.

   Patterns

   • a business gazelle
   • the gazelles of the industry

   Small technology gazelles are creating most of the new jobs in the region.

   Investors are looking for the next gazelle, a young firm that can double in size within a few years.

Word forms

Common combinations

a herd of gazelles

A herd of gazelles moved slowly toward the water hole.

gazelles graze

In the early morning, gazelles graze on the short grass.

a gazelle leaps

The gazelle leaps high over the bushes to escape.

hunt gazelles

Cheetahs hunt gazelles across the savanna.

a young gazelle

The young gazelle stayed close to its mother.

Synonyms and how they differ

antelope

A wider word for many horned grazing animals; every gazelle is an antelope, but most antelopes are not gazelles.

deer

A different family of animals; deer have branched antlers that they shed, while gazelles keep permanent curved horns.

Word family

gazelle noun

The singular form of the same animal.

Commonly confused: gazelles or gazette?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “gazelles”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words