Illustration of kudu
variants
or less commonly koodoo
plural kudu or kudus also koodoo or koodoos
: a large grayish brown African antelope (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) with large annulated spirally twisted horns
also
: a related antelope (T. imberbis)
Examples of kudu in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Aldabra tortoises, giraffes, elephants, kudu, bonobos, coatis and gorillas all headed toward their barns.
—
Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
Her guiding skills led us to incredible sightings, including a pair of lions chasing a herd of kudu, a pod of hippos sunning themselves, and dozens of elephants enjoying a mud bath.
—Sandra MacGregor, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2023
The morning may have started with an abundance of zebra herds — also known as dazzles or zeals of zebra — but it’s evolved into a Noah’s Ark-like afternoon, complete with elephants, wildebeest, crocodiles, hippos, giraffes, kudu, and fish eagles.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 9 Dec. 2023
This was true for 95 percent of the animal species observed, including giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, kudu, warthogs, impalas and rhinos.
—Daniel Lingenhöhl, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2023
But on that morning, the park’s open vistas allowed for herds of buffalo to gather unimpeded as kudu looked on, preening and showing off their spiral horns.
—Tayari Jones, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2023
At the heart of the compound, there’s a 51-acre exotic animal reserve, and the $22.95-million price tag includes a giraffe, a dozen zebras, six African antelopes, a kudu and a llama — as well as a pair of desert tortoises that hang out by the barn, according to the listing.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2022
The kudu will wake in a matter of minutes.
—Lois Parshley, Scientific American, 1 May 2018
In the courtyard, an old man in a blue polo and a rumpled bathing suit was trying to coax a captive kudu—a species of large antelope, with corkscrew horns—into standing with him for a selfie.
—Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022
Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
Her guiding skills led us to incredible sightings, including a pair of lions chasing a herd of kudu, a pod of hippos sunning themselves, and dozens of elephants enjoying a mud bath.
—Sandra MacGregor, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2023
The morning may have started with an abundance of zebra herds — also known as dazzles or zeals of zebra — but it’s evolved into a Noah’s Ark-like afternoon, complete with elephants, wildebeest, crocodiles, hippos, giraffes, kudu, and fish eagles.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 9 Dec. 2023
This was true for 95 percent of the animal species observed, including giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, kudu, warthogs, impalas and rhinos.
—Daniel Lingenhöhl, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2023
But on that morning, the park’s open vistas allowed for herds of buffalo to gather unimpeded as kudu looked on, preening and showing off their spiral horns.
—Tayari Jones, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2023
At the heart of the compound, there’s a 51-acre exotic animal reserve, and the $22.95-million price tag includes a giraffe, a dozen zebras, six African antelopes, a kudu and a llama — as well as a pair of desert tortoises that hang out by the barn, according to the listing.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2022
The kudu will wake in a matter of minutes.
—Lois Parshley, Scientific American, 1 May 2018
In the courtyard, an old man in a blue polo and a rumpled bathing suit was trying to coax a captive kudu—a species of large antelope, with corkscrew horns—into standing with him for a selfie.
—Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kudu.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Afrikaans koedoe, from Khoikhoi kudu-b, kudu-s
First Known Use
1777, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near kudu
Cite this Entry
“Kudu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kudu. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
kudu
noun
ku·du
variants
also koodoo
ˈküd-(ˌ)ü
plural kudu or kudus also koodoo or koodoos
: a large grayish brown African antelope with long twisted horns
More from Merriam-Webster on kudu
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about kudu
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