elephant

noun

1. A very large gray mammal with a long trunk, big ears, and tusks, found in Africa and Asia.

   A1

   countable

   • "We saw an elephant at the zoo."A1
   • "Elephants use their trunks to pick up food and water."A2
   • "African elephants are larger than Asian elephants and have bigger ears."B1

2. Something very large or unwieldy; informally, an issue or problem that is difficult to ignore or deal with (used mainly in the phrase 'the elephant in the room').

   B2

   countableinformal

   • "Nobody wanted to talk about the elephant in the room."B1
   • "No one mentioned the obvious problem; it was like addressing the elephant in the room."B2
   • "The candidate's controversial past was the elephant in the room during the interview."C1