Elephants are the largest mammals to live on land. They’re found in Africa and Asia, and they’re a popular attraction at zoos around the world. When you need to say that someone or something is large, an elephant serves as a good basis for comparison.
He has ears like an elephant.
Rachel’s grandmother has legs as large as an elephant’s trunk.
The students ran through the hallway like a pack of wild elephants.
Here are a few examples of how the word "elephant" might be used within popular expressions:
Laura has a memory like an elephant. (Elephants are good at remembering things.)
No one is talking about the elephant in the room. ("The elephant in the room" is the thing that everyone is thinking about, but no one wants to talk about — for whatever reason.)
The church down the street is having a white elephant sale. (white elephant sale = a sale of good-quality, used items. A rummage sale is similar.)
Note: The Republican Party in the United States uses an elephant as its symbol.
