Illustration of crocodile
- crocodile 1a
crocodile
noun
croc·o·dile
ˈkrä-kə-ˌdī(-ə)l 
1
a
: any of several large, carnivorous, thick-skinned, long-bodied, aquatic reptiles (family Crocodylidae and especially genus Crocodylus) of tropical and subtropical waters that have a long, tapered, V-shaped snout
broadly
: crocodilian
b
: the skin or hide of a crocodile
2
chiefly British
: a line of people (such as schoolchildren) usually walking in pairs
Examples of crocodile in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The kids go on an adventure that moves between a forest and a fashion show, and features a snobbish cat and a vegan crocodile, while tussling with questions of friendship and the pangs of first love.
—
Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 Apr. 2024
Jennifer Lopez lugged a cream Birkin to the gym last month, and Kim Kardashian carried a crocodile one to a recent Lakers game.
—Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Among his many adventures, Munchausen flies across the Thames on a cannonball, fights a 40-foot-long crocodile and travels to the moon.
—Rosemary Counter, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
James Bond, played by Sir Roger Moore, who arrived at the hotel disguised as a crocodile in the 1983 film Octopussy.
—Lee Cobaj, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2024
Someone is eaten by a crocodile — they’re seen being dragged underwater — and another has their neck snapped.
—Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The Miami Herald reported that crocodile attacks on humans are also infrequent because crocodiles are found in isolated areas such as the southern Everglades.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
Finally, a blue crocodile leather strap with a three-fold clasp completes the picture.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Both crocodiles will be kept in captivity, either at crocodile farms or zoos, the department said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 Apr. 2024
Jennifer Lopez lugged a cream Birkin to the gym last month, and Kim Kardashian carried a crocodile one to a recent Lakers game.
—Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Among his many adventures, Munchausen flies across the Thames on a cannonball, fights a 40-foot-long crocodile and travels to the moon.
—Rosemary Counter, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
James Bond, played by Sir Roger Moore, who arrived at the hotel disguised as a crocodile in the 1983 film Octopussy.
—Lee Cobaj, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2024
Someone is eaten by a crocodile — they’re seen being dragged underwater — and another has their neck snapped.
—Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The Miami Herald reported that crocodile attacks on humans are also infrequent because crocodiles are found in isolated areas such as the southern Everglades.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
Finally, a blue crocodile leather strap with a three-fold clasp completes the picture.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Both crocodiles will be kept in captivity, either at crocodile farms or zoos, the department said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crocodile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Crocodile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crocodile. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crocodile
noun
croc·o·dile
ˈkräk-ə-ˌdīl
1
: any of several large thick-skinned long-bodied reptiles of tropical and subtropical waters compare alligator
2
: the skin or hide of a crocodile
Etymology
from Middle English cocodrille "crocodile," from early French cocodrille (same meaning), from Latin cocodrillus and earlier crocodilus "crocodile," from Greek krokodeilos "crocodile, lizard"
Word Origin
The word crocodile is taken from Greek krokodeilos, which is probably modified from a compound of krokē, "pebble, stone," and an obscure word drilos, which may have meant "worm." According to the ancient Greek writer Herodotus, some Greeks gave this name to the lizards that lived among the stone walls of their farms. When these Greeks visited Egypt, the enormous reptiles of the Nile River reminded them of the lizards and they applied the same name to them. (The more usual ancient Greek word for "lizard" was sauros, which we see in the Latin scientific names of many dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus, and in the word dinosaur itself.) The Romans took Greek krokodeilos into Latin as crocodilus. However, later speakers shifted the r from the first to the third syllable, giving cocodrilus or cocodrillus. It was this form that was taken into medieval French and later into Middle English as cocodrille. Later, as Englishmen became better acquainted with the classical Latin of ancient Rome, the English word was changed to better reflect Latin crocodilus, and cocodrille was eventually forgotten.
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