COYOTE Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

coyote

[ kahy-oh-tee, kahy-oht ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

plural coyotes, (especially collectively) coyote.

Also called prairie wolf. a buffy-gray, wolflike canid, Canis latrans, of North America, distinguished from the wolf by its relatively small size and its slender build, large ears, and narrow muzzle.
Slang. a contemptible person, especially an avaricious or dishonest one.
American Indian Legend. the coyote regarded as a culture hero and trickster by American Indian tribes of the West.
Slang. a person who smuggles immigrants, especially Latin Americans, into the U.S. for a fee.

coyote

/ kɔɪˈəʊt; ˈkɔɪəʊt; kɔɪˈəʊtɪ /

Also calledprairie wolf a predatory canine mammal, Canis latrans, related to but smaller than the wolf, roaming the deserts and prairies of North America
(in Native American legends of the West) a trickster and culture hero represented as a man or as an animal

Discover More

Origin of coyote¹

1825–35; earlier cuiota, cayota < Mexican Spanish coyote < Nahuatl ��ǲ�ō�ٱ�

Discover More

Origin of coyote¹

C19: from Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl coyotl

Discover More

Examples have not been reviewed.

At night, hungry coyotes yap and howl beyond the walls of Deborah’s ample, manicured yard.

From

In the movie you have “coyoteks,” a futuristic version of coyotes who smuggle people across the border to become migrant laborers in the U.S.

From

I’ve encountered a bobcat here and there, packs of coyotes and deer, but that was the first bear.

From

Other areas are raked in patterns resembling a Zen garden, and some contain replica tracks of native animals, including coyotes, bears and snakes.

From

Ramírez said that migrant smugglers, who are known in Mexico as coyotes, were already making that pitch.

From

Browse