Illustration of tapir
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
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
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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
See all Example Sentences for tapir
Dictionary Entries Near tapir
Cite this Entry
“Tapir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tapir. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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