1. A small wolflike carnivorous animal (Canis latrans) native to western North America and found in many other regions of the continent. Also called prairie wolf.
2. A firefighter who is sent to battle remote, usually very severe forest fires, often for days at a time.
3. Slang. A person who smuggles illegal immigrants into the United States, especially across the Mexican border.

[American Spanish, from Nahuatl cóyotl.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.