What does "zebra" mean?
Any of three species of subgenus Hippotigris: Equus grevyi, Equus quagga, or Equus zebra, all with black and white stripes and native to Africa.
Zebra
/ˈzɛbɹə/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of three species of subgenus Hippotigris: Equus grevyi, Equus quagga, or Equus zebra, all with black and white stripes and native to Africa.
- Grammar: zebra is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: animal, antelope, armadillo, bat.
- Useful contrasts: domestic horse, signalized crossing, traffic light crossing.
- Usage evidence: When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don't expect to see a zebra.
How to use "zebra"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "zebra" 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 "zebra" 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 "zebra" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "zebra" 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 "zebra" is acting as noun, 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 "animal" 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 "zebra", 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 Any of three species of subgenus Hippotigris: Equus grevyi, Equus quagga, or Equus zebra, all with black and white stripes and native to Africa.
"A group of zebras can be called a dazzle."
- 2 radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter Z.
- 3 any of several fleet black-and-white striped African equines wordnet
- 4 A referee. slang
- 5 An unlikely diagnosis, especially for symptoms probably caused by a common ailment. slang
""It's a zebra! George. OK, I should explain. A zebra is..." "Medical slang for coming to an exotic diagnosis when a more simple explanation is more likely." "That's right. I was convinced that George, given his age and symptoms, had some kind of cardiac issue. It fit, it made sense. Because I was looking for the obvious when I should have been looking for the zebra! George is just having an allergic reaction to a combination of chemicals from all the stains and paints he's been using in the garage.""
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Someone who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or hypermobility spectrum disorder broadly
"EDS charities around the world use a zebra logo to promote the idea that sometimes it really is that ‘rare’ condition."
- 7 A biracial person, specifically one born to a Sub-Saharan African person and a white person. derogatory, ethnic, slang, slur
"“People change countries for all kinds of reasons,” Ross tells me. “But at least one of them was that she had this light-skinned, mixed-race child who had already been called a zebra at school.”"
- 8 A zebra cichlid (Amatitlania nigrofasciata). informal
- 9 Any of various papilionid butterflies of the subgenus Paranticopsis of the genus Graphium, having black and white markings.
- 10 A zebra crossing.
"On his way home he'd picked up two economy-sized bags of tortilla chips, and had dropped both when a twat in a Lexus honked him on a zebra . . ."
- 11 A fairy chess piece that is moved three squares in one direction and two at right angles to that direction in a single move, leaping over any intervening pieces.
Antonyms
domestic horsesignalized crossingtraffic light crossingunstriped horse
Example
"When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don't expect to see a zebra."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "zebra"?
Common synonyms include: animal, antelope, armadillo, bat, chameleon, confetti.
How do you use "zebra" in a sentence?
When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don't expect to see a zebra.
How do you pronounce "zebra"?
Pronounced /ˈzɛbɹə/.
Etymology
First attested in 1600. Borrowed from Italian zebra, from Portuguese zebra, zebro (“zebra”), from Old Galician-Portuguese enzebro, ezebra, azebra (“wild ass”), from earlier cebrario (882), ezebrario (897), from Vulgar Latin *eciferus, from Latin equiferus (“wild horse”) (Pliny), from equus (“horse”) + ferus (“wild”). While the word was traditionally pronounced with a long vowel in the first syllable in standard English, during the twentieth century a vowel shift occurred in regions of England, with the shortening of the first vowel. This pronunciation is now used throughout the UK and most Commonwealth nations. The long-vowel pronunciation remains standard in Canadian and American English and is used in the UK only by some older, conservative RP speakers. (unlikely diagnosis): Originates in the advice often given to medical students, "when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras". (referee): In reference to the black and white striped shirts they wear.