tapir
noun
ta·pir
| \ ˈtā-pər also ˈtā-ˌpir or tə-ˈpir
\
\
plural tapirs
also tapir
Definition of tapir
: any of a genus (Tapirus) of herbivorous chiefly nocturnal perissodactyl mammals of tropical America and southeastern Asia from Myanmar to Sumatra that have a heavy sparsely hairy body and the snout and upper lip prolonged into a short flexible proboscis
Illustration of tapir
Examples of tapir in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Board a boat at Atalaya and cruise even deeper into the rainforest, on the lookout for monkeys, giant anteaters, tapirs, ocelots, armadillos, peccaries, caimans, and the numerous bird species that inhabit Manú National Park. — National Geographic, "Peru & the Amazon High School Expedition," 12 June 2019 Wild inhabitants include the resplendent quetzal, rare species of glass frogs, and elusive animals such as the Baird’s tapir. — National Geographic, "EXPLORE THE WORLD WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC," 8 Apr. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tapir.' 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 tapir
tapir
noun
English Language Learners Definition of tapir
: an animal that is like a pig with a long nose and short legs and that lives in tropical America and Southeast Asia
See the full definition for tapir in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tapir
noun
ta·pir
| \ ˈtā-pər
\
\
Kids Definition of tapir
: a large hoofed plant-eating animal of tropical America and southeastern Asia that has short thick legs, a short tail, and a long flexible snout
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