ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rhino

n.
US //ˈɹaɪˌnoʊ// UK //ɹˈaɪnəʊ// rhi·no
  1. 1 the animal (n.)
    A2 Elementary Informal

    a short way of saying rhinoceros — a large, heavy animal with one or two horns on its nose.

    a colloquial clipping of rhinoceros, referring to the large perissodactyl ungulate.

    Example

    We saw a mother rhino and her calf during the safari trip.

    Example

    Conservationists are working tirelessly to protect the black rhino from poachers in the national park.

    Usage

    The plural can be either 'rhinos' or 'rhino'.
  2. 2 money (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Slang

    an old-fashioned word for money.

    a slang term for money or cash. This sense is archaic and rarely encountered outside of nineteenth-century literature.

    Example

    The old story mentioned a man who was short of rhino and needed a loan.

    Example

    In the Victorian underworld, 'ready rhino' was a common expression for having immediate access to liquid assets.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is archaic; learners should only use 'rhino' to refer to the animal in modern contexts.
Etymology 1

Unknown.

Etymology 2

Clipping of rhinoceros.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

Last updated June 20, 2026