gator

«gator» in Mova's school dictionary: short for an alligator, a large reptile with strong jaws… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun, informal (a gator, gators)

meaning for a pupil

1) (informal, US) A gator is short for an alligator, a large reptile with strong jaws that lives in rivers and swamps in the southern USA and China. tree →

2) (informal) A small off-road farm or utility vehicle, from a brand name. tree →

sense in the lessons

Used in US talk, especially Florida and Louisiana, and in stories and nature shows. Safety: never feed or go near gators; stay away from the water's edge in gator areas. Phrases: «watch out for gators», «See you later, alligator — in a while, crocodile».

examples

• We saw a gator sunning itself by the pond. tree →
• Signs said «Beware of gators». tree →
• The gator slid silently into the water. tree →
• Never swim where gators live. tree →
• The Florida team is called the Gators. tree →
• A baby gator is only as long as a pencil. tree →

note

Informal clipped form of «alligator». Alligators have wider, U-shaped snouts; crocodiles have narrower, V-shaped snouts. Capital G for a team name.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «gator» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.