From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishalligatoral‧li‧ga‧tor /ˈæləɡeɪtə $ -ər/ noun 1 
[countable]HBA a large animal with a long mouth and tail and sharp teeth that lives in the hot wet parts of the US and China2 [uncountable]HBATI the skin of this animal used as leather alligator shoes
[countable]HBA a large animal with a long mouth and tail and sharp teeth that lives in the hot wet parts of the US and China2 [uncountable]HBATI the skin of this animal used as leather alligator shoesExamples from the Corpus
alligator• It could be the size of an alligator.• It was my idea of what an alligator might find appealing.• George was in tennis shorts and a shirt with an alligator emblem.• A sniper with a high-powered rifle and a telescopic lens scans the area for snakes and alligators.• In time, these will become a habitat for alligators.• They had alligator tail but it was tough.• Then we saw the alligator swell up.• The alligator, though pursued for its hide and much reduced in numbers, is not in present danger of extinction.Origin alligator (1500-1600) Spanish el lagarto “the lizard”, from Latin lacerta; → LIZARD 