Gila monster

noun

Gi·​la monster ˈhē-lə- How to pronounce Gila monster (audio)
: a large, stout, venomous lizard (Heloderma suspectum) that has rough, bumpy, black and orange, pinkish, or yellowish skin, a thick tail, and venom glands in the lower lip and that is found especially in arid regions of the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico

Illustration of Gila monster

Illustration of gila monster

Examples of Gila monster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Though typically docile and easygoing, the Gila monster will hiss or bite predators or humans if threatened, causing swelling, tissue damage or infection. — Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 24 July 2025 These drugs exist because someone studied the Gila monster, a lizard that eats only a few times a year. — Sudhir Chaturvedi, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025 About the size of a raccoon, this large lizard was an ancestor of the Gila monster — a venomous lizard found in the American Southwest and Northwest Mexico. — Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 17 June 2025 To take one example, biologists studying the venom of a Gila monster found a hormone that is the basis of the new generation of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic. — Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Gila monster

Word History

Etymology

Gila River, Arizona

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Gila monster was in 1877

Browse Nearby Words

Gilaki
Gila monster
Gila trout
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gila monster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gila%20monster. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

Gila monster

noun
Gi·​la monster ˌhē-lə- How to pronounce Gila monster (audio)
: a large orange and black poisonous lizard of the southwestern U.S.
also : a related Mexican lizard
Etymology

from Gila, name of a river in Arizona

Medical Definition

Gila monster

noun
Gi·​la monster ˈhē-lə- How to pronounce Gila monster (audio)
: a large orange and black venomous lizard of the genus Heloderma (H. suspectum) of the southwestern United States

More from Merriam-Webster on Gila monster

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Gila monster

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