Phrase guide

Gila monster

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhiːlə ˈmɒnstə(ɹ)/
  • General-American: /ˈhilə ˈmɑnstɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒnstə(ɹ)

1

noun

Meaning 1

A venomous lizard, Heloderma suspectum, that lives in the deserts of the southwestern USA and northwestern Mexico.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

large orange and black lizard of southwestern United States; not dangerous unless molested

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Heloderma suspectum

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: venomous lizard

History

Etymology

From the Gila River in Arizona and New Mexico, whose name may ultimately derive from a Yuma word meaning "running water which is salty".

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: monstre de Gila — Heloderma suspectum
  • Chinese Mandarin: 美國毒蜥 /美国毒蜥 (Měiguó dúxī) — Heloderma suspectum
  • Dutch: gilamonster — Heloderma suspectum
  • Dutch: gilahagedis — Heloderma suspectum
  • Finnish: gilalisko — Heloderma suspectum
  • French: monstre de Gila — Heloderma suspectum
  • German: Gila-Krustenechse — Heloderma suspectum
  • Indonesian: kadal hila — Heloderma suspectum
  • Italian: mostro di Gila — Heloderma suspectum
  • Korean: 아메리카독도마뱀 (amerikadokdomabaem) — Heloderma suspectum
  • Navajo: tiníléí — Heloderma suspectum
  • Portuguese: monstro-de-gila — Heloderma suspectum
  • Portuguese: monstro de Gila — Heloderma suspectum
  • Russian: аризо́нский ядозу́б (arizónskij jadozúb) — Heloderma suspectum
  • Russian: жилатье́ (žilatʹjé) — Heloderma suspectum
  • Spanish: monstruo de Gila — Heloderma suspectum