meerkat

American

[meer-kat] / ˈmɪər kæt /

noun

suricate.

meerkat British

/ ˈmɪəˌkæt /

noun

any of several South African mongooses, esp Suricata suricatta ( slender-tailed meerkat or suricate ), which has a lemur-like face and four-toed feet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of meerkat

Dutch: literally, monkey, apparently equivalent to meer ( mere ² ) + kat cat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Ark Wildlife Park, near Boston, Lincolnshire has 232 animals in its care including meerkats, crocodiles, snakes and wildcats.

From BBC

The screen saver is the flying leopard and the meerkat that I drew, and Ray and I animated.

From Literature

Humans are a bit like meerkats when it comes to pairing up, according to a study that examined the monogamous lifestyles of different species.

From BBC

"I imagined a lot of people coming out like meerkats poking out of a hole and going back in again. 'How's she doing? OK, no, no.'"

From BBC

I would stand up like a startled meerkat, looking at a clamshell and trying to figure out how to make the pieces fit.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023