Illustration of gopher
- gopher 2a
1
: a burrowing land tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) of the southern U.S.
broadly
: any of several related land tortoises
called also gopher tortoise
2
a
: any of a family (Geomyidae) of burrowing rodents of western North America, Central America, and the southern U.S. that are the size of a large rat and have large cheek pouches opening beside the mouth
called also pocket gopher
b
: any of several small ground squirrels (genus Spermophilus) of the prairie region of North America
3
go·pher
less common spelling of gofer
informal
: an employee whose duties include running errands : lackey
Examples of gopher in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 23 May 2025
Line the bottoms with hardware cloth (not chicken wire) to exclude hungry gophers.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
Create a sand-art gopher tortoise using colored sand while learning what makes gopher tortoises so special.
—Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2025
While gopher tortoises can be encountered in abundance during a visit to the park, guests can also marvel at its longleaf pine forests, with bird species like the downy woodpecker and red-breasted nuthatch found flitting from tree to tree.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
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Noun
Ng has spoken with farmers and ranchers in Alberta and Saskatchewan who have seen hawks use the sounds of gunshots during gopher hunts as a cue that a feast is impending.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 23 May 2025
Line the bottoms with hardware cloth (not chicken wire) to exclude hungry gophers.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
Create a sand-art gopher tortoise using colored sand while learning what makes gopher tortoises so special.
—Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2025
While gopher tortoises can be encountered in abundance during a visit to the park, guests can also marvel at its longleaf pine forests, with bird species like the downy woodpecker and red-breasted nuthatch found flitting from tree to tree.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gopher
Cite this Entry
“Gopher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gopher. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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