What does wildebeest mean?
Word: Wildebeest
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Wildebeest means a large African antelope with curved horns and a long face.
How do you spell wildebeest?
Syllables: wil - de - beest
Tricky part: The end of this word is not the everyday word beast. It has two e's together and no a.
Watch out for: wildebeast, wildebeist
Memory tip: A bee buzzing round a grazing herd can lend this word its double e.
Wildebeest in a sentence
Example 1: The documentary followed one wildebeest calf through its first year.
Example 2: A wildebeest has a heavy front and a long, narrow face.
Example 3: We saw a herd of wildebeest from the jeep in Kenya.
Fun Fact
A wildebeest calf can usually stand within minutes of being born, which helps it keep up with the moving herd.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word wildebeest as used in the sentence:
A wildebeest grazed beside the zebras on the open plain of the Serengeti.
a) zebu
b) ibex
c) gnu
d) yak
Show answer
c) gnu. Gnu is simply another name for the same African animal.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence hides a jumbled word. Choose the word:
In the film, a lone bsedwelite stood on the dusty ridge at sunset.
a) wildcat
b) wildfowl
c) wildlife
d) wildebeest
Show answer
d) wildebeest. Wildcat, wildlife and wildfowl all fall well short of the three e's in the jumble.
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
wilddebeest
a) d
b) w
c) l
d) b
Show answer
a) d. A single d closes the opening wild.
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. cheetah 2. giraffe 3. wildebeest 4. rhinosceros
a) a horned grazing animal of the African plains
b) a very large animal with thick skin and horns on its nose
c) the tallest animal, with a very long neck
d) a spotted big cat, the fastest animal on land
Show answer
b) a very large animal with thick skin and horns on its nose. Rhinoceros has no s before its c, so the list's spelling is the wrong one.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A wildebeest belongs to the same large animal family as which of these?
a) a horse
b) a pig
c) a cow
d) a camel
Show answer
c) a cow
2. Why do great herds of wildebeest walk such long distances each year?
a) to drink from the warm ocean waters
b) to find caves where they can sleep
c) to escape the cold of the winter snow
d) to reach fresh grass after the rains
Show answer
d) to reach fresh grass after the rains
