crocodile
(krɒkədaɪl )
Word forms: crocodiles
1. countable noun B2
A crocodile is a large reptile with a long body and strong jaws. Crocodiles live in rivers and eat meat.
2. countable noun [oft NOUN of noun, also in N]
A crocodile of people, especially school children, or vehicles is a long line of them, moving together. [British]
The children walk in crocodiles from the schoolhouse to the dining-room for lunch.
...a long crocodile of coaches.
Image of crocodile
© dangdumrong, Shutterstock
Idioms:
shed crocodile tears
to pretend to be sad or to sympathize with someone without really caring about them
He shed a lot of crocodile tears. He described the wrecking of the coal industry as `a dreadful thing to have to do'.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Collocations:
crocodile population saltwater crocodile
And, therefore, a massive crocodile population; both the crocs and the population of them are huge.
Times, Sunday Times
In the 30 or so years that they have been protected, however the crocodile population has recovered so successfully that some consider there to be an over population.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Crocodile advocates favour keeping crocodile populations as close to a wild state as possible.
Times, Sunday Times
Living alongside the larger mammals were species that still survive today: the emu, the red kangaroo and the saltwater crocodile, the authors said.
Times,Sunday Times
He was sanguine as ever when his leg was 'chomped' by a saltwater crocodile and needed 12 stitches.
Times, Sunday Times
Species like the saltwater crocodile can grow to a huge size - up to 30ft.
The Sun
As a 13ft saltwater crocodile thrashed its tail and darted underwater, we followed its stream of tiny bubbles through parting reeds.
Times, Sunday Times
Experts said that his attacker appeared to have been a saltwater crocodile.
Times,Sunday Times
Translations:
Chinese: 鳄鱼
Japanese: ワニ
- former club
- former convict
- former director
- former glory
- former head
- former leader
- formerly
- former manager
- former president
- former soldier
- form-fitting
- Formica
- formidable
- formidable adversary
- formidable array of
- formidable barrier
- formidable challenge
- formidable combination
- formidable competitor
- formidable defence
- formidable enemy
- formidable foe
- formidable force
- formidable intellect
- formidable obstacle