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
Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 6 May 2024
Line the bottoms with hardware cloth (not chicken wire) to exclude hungry gophers.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Kayaks are also available for rent, and the island has resident gopher tortoises to greet you.
—Caroline Eubanks, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2024
In addition to looking for signs of a gopher, do a soil test and check your fertilizer.
—Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gopher 
Noun
The first sign of trouble bubbled up from gopher holes a stone’s throw from Stan Ledgerwood’s front door.
—Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 6 May 2024
Line the bottoms with hardware cloth (not chicken wire) to exclude hungry gophers.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Kayaks are also available for rent, and the island has resident gopher tortoises to greet you.
—Caroline Eubanks, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2024
In addition to looking for signs of a gopher, do a soil test and check your fertilizer.
—Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gopher
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gopher.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Gopher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gopher. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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