From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgatorga‧tor /ˈɡeɪtə $ -ər/ noun [countable] American English informal an alligator
Examples from the Corpus
gator• Okay, so I was a kid checking out the snakes and gators of my childhood.• Alligators are not particularly sociable animals, and big bull gators often will stake out their own ponds.• But a srnall gator sunned himself on a bank, an egret leaned forward knee-deep in the standing pool.• Now the gators are collectors items.Origin gator (1800-1900) alligator 