rhinoceros
noun
rhi·noc·er·os
| \ rī-ˈnäs-rəs
, rə-, -ˈnä-sə-\
, rə-, -ˈnä-sə-\
plural rhinoceroses
also rhinoceros
or rhinoceri\ rī-ˈnä-sə-ˌrī
, rə- \
, rə- \
Definition of rhinoceros
: any of a family (Rhinocerotidae) of large heavyset herbivorous perissodactyl mammals of Africa and Asia that have one or two upright keratinous horns on the snout and thick gray to brown skin with little hair
Illustration of rhinoceros
Examples of rhinoceros in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Closer inspection reveals that, like the rhinoceros case of mistaken identity, this carved tusk actually came from a wholly different beast. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: Unicorns are just one of the wild rides in the Getty’s marvelous ‘Book of Beasts’," 23 July 2019 But a vocal minority in Africa wants to see sustainable use of some animals, notably rhinoceros, whose horn can be sheared off every couple of years. — Jennie Erin Smith, WSJ, "‘Poached’ Review: Tusks, Horns and Pangolin Scales," 27 Sep. 2018 Among the dead are 111 hog deer, 18 wild boars, 17 rhinoceros, 12 sambar deer, seven swamp deer, three porcupines, two water buffaloes, and one elephant. — Kuwar Singh, Quartz India, "Ten numbers that sum up the damage caused by the Indian monsoon this year," 29 July 2019 Curtin, a wildlife artist, paints pink elephants, blue rhinoceroses, standing cows and pigs adorned with jewelry and lipstick. — Faith E. Pinho, latimes.com, "Laguna Art-A-Fair welcomes new and familiar faces to opening day Friday," 27 June 2019 AP Photo Assam, which is known for its lush tea plantations and diverse wildlife, is battling the rains to save its precious rhinoceros population. — Manavi Kapur, Quartz India, "In photos: Assam, Bihar, and Mumbai reel under the fury of the great Indian monsoon," 18 July 2019 The invasive fauna included the ancestors of modern-day lion, zebra, rhinoceros, hippopotamus and antelopes. — Paul Manger, Quartz Africa, "Elephants evolved larger brains partly thanks to climate change, say scientists," 28 June 2019 Today, Akagera is one of a select number of parks in Africa with the Big Five: leopards, lions, Cape buffalo, elephants, and rhinoceros. — Benedict Moran, National Geographic, "Rwanda's war nearly destroyed this park. Now it's coming back.," 7 May 2019 The sale of a tiger, a leopard and even a rhinoceros turned a tidy profit to JW Rulon of Philadelphia and his partner in Calcutta, Thomas Richards. — Srinath Raghavan, Quartz India, "Imported US ice helped 19th century British officials beat Indian heat waves," 17 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rhinoceros.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for rhinoceros
rhinoceros
noun
English Language Learners Definition of rhinoceros
: a large, heavy animal of Africa and Asia that has thick skin and either one or two large horns on its nose
See the full definition for rhinoceros in the English Language Learners Dictionary
rhinoceros
noun
rhi·noc·er·os
| \ rī-ˈnä-sə-rəs
\
\
plural rhinoceroses
also rhinoceros
Kids Definition of rhinoceros
: a large plant-eating mammal of Africa and Asia with short legs, thick gray to brown skin with little hair, and one or two heavy upright horns on the snout
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