What does "walrus" mean?
A large Arctic marine mammal related to seals and having long tusks, tough, wrinkled skin, and four flippers, Odobenus rosmarus.
Walrus
/ˈwɑl.ɹəs/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A large Arctic marine mammal related to seals and having long tusks, tough, wrinkled skin, and four flippers, Odobenus rosmarus.
- Grammar: walrus is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: sea horse, assignment expression, marine animal, morse.
- Useful contrasts: land mammal.
- Usage evidence: Yesterday I went to the zoo and saw a huge walrus.
How to use "walrus"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "walrus" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
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 "walrus" 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.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "walrus" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "walrus" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "walrus" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "sea horse" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
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.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "walrus", 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.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A large Arctic marine mammal related to seals and having long tusks, tough, wrinkled skin, and four flippers, Odobenus rosmarus.
"Of all the Phocine family none present so terrible and grotesque an appearance as the gigantic Walrus, also known as the morse and sea-horse."
- 2 either of two large northern marine mammals having ivory tusks and tough hide over thick blubber wordnet
- 3 A man with a walrus moustache. derogatory, informal, sometimes
"You old walrus, don't you think it is time for you to lop your whiskers off?"
Verb
- 1 To hunt walruses
"It's strange to see parties of merrymakers gather where I nearly drowned, and later walrused with David Isaakovich, Father Basil and the rest of them."
- 2 To be like a walrus; To move dragging one's belly along the floor
"Gaddy walrused herself from the back seat"
- 3 To be like a walrus; To hang like a walrus's moustache
"His untrimmed mustache walrused down and over his hidden mouth"
- 4 To be like a walrus; To be prominent, like tusks
"Where a mammal had its canine teeth, great fangs walrused down from the grezzen's upper jaw, as long as scimitars and as thick as human thighs."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
land mammal
Example
"Yesterday I went to the zoo and saw a huge walrus."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "walrus"?
Common synonyms include: sea horse, assignment expression, marine animal, morse, sea elephant, seahorse.
How do you use "walrus" in a sentence?
Yesterday I went to the zoo and saw a huge walrus.
How do you pronounce "walrus"?
Pronounced /ˈwɑl.ɹəs/.
Etymology
Probably borrowed from Dutch walrus, a compound of wal (“whale”) and ros (“horse”). Displaced native Old English horshwæl (literally “horse-whale”). Compare similar constructions in Danish hvalros, Old Norse hrosshvalr, and German Walross.