any tropical American crocodilian of the genus Caiman and related genera, similar to alligators but with a more heavily armoured belly: family Alligatoridae (alligators, etc)
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
cay•man
(kā′mən),USA pronunciation n., pl. -mans.
- Reptilescaiman.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
cai•man
(kā′mən),USA pronunciation n., pl. -mans.
- Reptilesany of several tropical American crocodilians of the genus Caiman and allied genera: some are endangered.
- Carib
- Spanish caimán
- 1570–80
'cayman' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
British West Indies
- Cayman Islands
- George Town
- Georgetown
- Grand Cayman
- caiman
- cent
- dollar
- jacaré