dhole

noun

ˈdōl How to pronounce dhole (audio)
: a wild dog (Cuon alpinus) occurring from India to southern Siberia that typically hunts in packs and often preys on large animals (such as deer and antelope)
Among the dhole's most distinctive features is its whistle—a high-pitched call apparently used to coordinate cooperative hunting.— Arun Venkataraman

Examples of dhole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Cuddly red pandas, which have ample undercoats, face natural predation from leopards and dholes, aka Asiatic wild dogs. — Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2023 With over 40 different varieties of mammal found within the park, visitors are able to spot sloth bears, gaur, dhole, and even the barasingha, a large wetland deer that was once common throughout central and northern India. — Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 28 Apr. 2021

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from Kannada tōḷa wolf

First Known Use

circa 1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dhole was circa 1827

Rhymes for dhole

See All Rhymes for dhole

Browse Nearby Words

dhole
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dhole. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on dhole

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dhole

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All