Zebra Definition: Pronunciation, Examples, and Exercises

As you know how to spell “zebra,” you need to learn this word in context. Here are some simple samples that you can use and meet in communication, various content, and more.

You are answering the question, “What does zebra mean?” to make your vocabulary rich, and studying alternative words will make it even wider. Check which of them you can use:

Related nouns: striped animal black-and-white animal

Synonyms (contextual): equine African horse

Common collocations: run with a zebra fast zebra meet a zebra

You are a pro in synonyms now, so here, you will learn how to use this term with other parts of speech. Check the most common of them:

With adjectives: a wild zebra black-and-white zebra

With verbs: a zebra runs a zebra eats a zebra drinks

With nouns (noun + noun): zebra crossing mountain zebra

The reason to use idioms is simple, as they add more color to what we say or write. International exams with essay parts can give you more points for some unusual expressions, and using an idiom in speech will bring more attention to you.

• A zebra can’t change its stripes — a saying which states that our nature will stay the same, no matter what we do to change it.

  My mom says I will not become another person because a zebra can’t change its stripes.

• Zebra crossing — a marked place where pedestrians are allowed to cross a road.

  I teach my children to cross the street using a zebra crossing only.

• “Zebra shirts” — known as a part of sports slang to name referees’ shirts with black and white stripes that remind one of a zebra.

  You can understand who the referee is in this game. Just look for a man in a zebra shirt.

It is time to check if you can define a zebra in a sentence across different engaging activities. Check your understanding with our fun exercises.

Check how to say “zebra” in three different and popular languages:

The definition of “zebra” can be remembered through the interesting and unusual facts about these unique animals. Here are some of them:

• The largest type of zebra is called “Grevy.”

  The approximate weight of a zebra ranges between 350 and 450 kilograms (or 770 and 990 pounds).

• We can confirm that a zebra is black with white stripes.

  This phenomenon is disclosed not only in conversations but even in cartoons, like “Madagascar,” and now, it is stated that zebras have black skin and are filled with white stripes.

• Zebras are powerful runners with a 65 km/h speed.

  They are born to run (to save their lives primarily), so it is a common thing that they have from the very first moment of their lives.

You learned a lot of zebras, and now, you are able to check what special sayings from books and cartoons are using this word to describe animals and our lives as well.

— Chloe Benjamin, “The Immortalists”

Explanation: This saying sounds both simple and hard to understand. Definitely, horses are more common on Earth than zebras. So we can say that this quote means to look for the most obvious solution to your problem at first. And if it didn’t work, look for “zebras.”

— Marty the Zebra, “Madagascar”

Explanation: This quote from a famous cartoon is a playful way to present a character — the Zebra who doesn’t want to be interrupted when having his time. He is vibing in his own world, so everyone should respect it.

— Shel Silverstein

Explanation: First of all, why would we even ask this question? Secondly, if we do, then the answer in this phrase is clear: we are not all good or all bad, we are mixed. And that’s totally fine.