tapir

noun

ta·​pir ˈtā-pər 

 also  ˈtā-ˌpir,

 or  tə-ˈpir

plural tapirs also 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

Before people introduced livestock into their habitat, vampire bats probably had a harder time finding food in the form of native prey species such as tapirs. —Sebastian Stockmaier, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024

At home in the tropical forests of Central and South America, these bats feed on various animals, including tapirs, mountain lions, penguins and, most often nowadays, livestock. —Sebastian Stockmaier, The Conversation, 28 Oct. 2024

Consider the tapir that used to greet me along the banks of the Amazon River. —Rebecca Shaw, TIME, 9 Oct. 2024

Tapir calf hanging out with mom 'Ubi and dad 'Albert' The Malayan tapir is the largest among the Tapir family, according to the Malaysia Biodiversity Centre. —Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese tapir, tapira, from Tupi tapiʔíra

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tapir

noun

ta·​pir ˈtā-pər 

plural tapir or tapirs

: any of several plant-eating hoofed mammals of tropical America and southeastern Asia that are related to the horse and rhinoceros and have a long flexible snout, a very short tail, and short thick legs