mascot

American  

[mas-kot, -kuht] / ˈmæs kɒt, -kət /

noun

1. an animal, person, or thing adopted by a group as its representative symbol and supposed to bring good luck.

   The U.S. Navy mascot is a goat.

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mascot British  

/ ˈmæskət /

noun

1. a person, animal, or thing considered to bring good luck

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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.

Example Sentences

And in March of this year, Mozilla, operator of the Firefox web browser, turned its Firefox logo into a fully-fledged mascot called Kit.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Nahai says she is hopeful that consumers are savvy enough nowadays to see past the cuteness of a company's cartoon character mascot.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

This location also features a marshmallow-and-chocolate-sauce Penguin Shake in honor of the tuxedoed mascot of the original.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Guarded by elite army commandos, their mascot Aloka -- a stray dog rescued in India -- walked on a leash, drawing bows and clasped hands from devotees lining the route.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

At a track in Arizona a monkey was a popular mascot until he began turning on all the shed-row faucets and tearing the shingles off the roof.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand