- a very large animal with thick grey skin, large ears, two curved outer teeth called tusks and a long nose called a trunk. There are two types of elephant, the African and the Asian.
- herds of elephants
- a bull elephant
- a baby elephant
- a conservationist who cares for orphaned elephants
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- African
- Asian
- Indian
- …
- herd
- hunt
- poach
- shoot
- …
- trumpet
- charge
- stampede
- …
- herd
- population
- tusk
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French elefant, via Latin from Greek elephas, elephant- ‘ivory, elephant’.
Idioms
See elephant in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarythe elephant in the room
- a problem or question that everyone knows about but does not mention because it is easier not to discuss it
- The elephant in the room was the money that had to be paid in bribes.
- There’s a big elephant in the room and it’s gun control.
Check pronunciation:
elephant