1. a large reptile with a long body, short legs, and powerful jaws that lives in swamps and rivers in the southeastern United States and China

Examples

• The alligator sunned itself on the riverbank.
• We saw several alligators during our boat tour of the Everglades.
• An alligator can grow up to 14 feet long.
• The alligator’s powerful tail helps it swim quickly through the water.
• Unlike crocodiles, alligators have wider, more rounded snouts.
• The mother alligator carefully carries her babies to the water in her mouth.