mascot
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mascot
1880–85; < French mascotte < Provençal mascoto talisman, charm, derivative of masco sorceress. See mask
Explanation
A mascot is an animal or character that represents a group. If your high school soccer team is called "the weasels," it means that a weasel must be your school's mascot. Some mascots supposedly bring luck to an organization or club, and others are used as marketing for a team or brand. Smokey the Bear is the mascot of the U.S. Forest Service and stars in commercials urging the public to help prevent forest fires. Tony the Tiger is also a mascot of sorts, for Frosted Flakes cereal. Sports team mascots actually appear at games and matches, dancing around between innings and high-fiving little kids in the stands.
Vocabulary lists containing mascot
English Words Derived from French, List 7
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for April 8–April 14, 2023
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nearly 25 years later, in November 2025, the school changed its mascot to the “Red Hawks” to comply with the state law.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2026
The 1986 Bosconian yearbook shows Selver and DeGaetano on the football team for the Don Bosco Ironmen—the mascot that would later lend its name to Bramshill’s parent company.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 4, 2026
It comes from a bald eagle known as "Old Abe" -- named for president Abraham Lincoln -- that served as a mascot to Union troops in over 30 battles in the US Civil War.
From Barron's • Jul. 2, 2026
No pet dragons, though — just a baby unicorn, representing the fantasy mascot ruling many of that era’s pre-teen accessory drawers.
From Salon • Jun. 24, 2026
What kind of pizza place has a porcupine for a mascot?
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
