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The Classic Omnivore
Human beings seem to be classic omnivores. Originally living as "hunter-gatherers", we hunted and fished when possible but also gathered nuts, berries, fruits, seeds, and roots for much of our diet. We're physically well suited for both tasks; our hands are perfect for picking things, and our build is ideal for running down even the fastest game animals because of our great stamina. Some 10,000 years ago humans began practicing agriculture involving both animals and plants. The other omnivorous mammals include chimpanzees, pigs, opossums, porcupines, bears, raccoons, chipmunks, mice and rats, and skunks. But even many mammals classed as carnivorous turn out to be capable of shifting to plant foods when necessary.
Examples of omnivore in a Sentence
Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 17 Apr. 2024
The big birds prefer seeds, insects, snails and snakes, but the omnivores will also eat pet food and plant seedlings.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 14 Apr. 2024
For example, flatback sea turtles are omnivores, eating both plants and animals, while loggerheads are carnivores, eating plants rarely.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
At the end of the eight weeks, LDL cholesterol levels dropped to an average of about 96 mg/dL for the vegan twins and 116 mg/dL for omnivores.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 9 Dec. 2023
Essential reading: How to cook a simple, flavorful pot of beans and use it throughout the week
A former omnivore comes out as vegetarian
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Thank goodness for the accidents.
—Joe Yonan, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2024
The burgers — about $4 more expensive than the traditional ones — are designed to appeal to a fast growing, desirable demographic of climate-conscious omnivores.
—Laura Reiley, Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2024
The prescribed omnivore diet included at least one serving of fish, meat, or chicken every day, as well as one egg and a serving and a half of dairy.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 9 Dec. 2023
Those who ate an omnivore’s diet (meat, plants, everything) were more likely to have caught COVID (52 percent) than herbivores (40 percent).
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'omnivore.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near omnivore
Cite this Entry
“Omnivore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omnivore. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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omnivore
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