intj, noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "alligator" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "alligator" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "alligator" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Check whether "alligator" is acting as intj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
Compare it with "gator" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Before publishing a sentence with "alligator", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
"All you could see of the alligator were two eyes above the water, then suddenly it snatched up and caught the poor bird with strong jaws full of sharp teeth."
"Alligators were very numerous, in fact the harbour was infested by them."
"Alligatoring is a result of the sun making the top surface of the asphalt brittle."
"The same way people will count the seconds between lightning and thunder, I counted the seconds between coughs. One-alligator, two-alligator, three-alligator."
"At an Indian wedding at the Phillipine islands the bride retired from the company in order to go down to the river to wash her feet. As she was thus employed an alligator seized her."
Either of two species of large amphibious reptile, Alligator mississippiensis or Alligator sinensis, in the genus Alligator within order Crocodilia, which have sharp teeth and very strong jaws and are native to the Americas and China, respectively.
Common synonyms include: gator, chameleon, crack, crocodile clip, dinosaur, dragon.
At an Indian wedding at the Phillipine islands the bride retired from the company in order to go down to the river to wash her feet. As she was thus employed an alligator seized her.
Pronounced /ˈæl.ɪ.ɡeɪ.tə/.
] From early Modern English alligater, alligarta, aligarto, alegarto, alagarto, from Spanish el lagarto (“the lizard”), from Latin lacertus (“lizard”), modern spelling possibly influenced by the unrelated Latin alligator (“one who binds”).