lizard

noun

liz·​ard ˈli-zərd 

1

: any of a suborder (Lacertilia) of reptiles distinguished from the snakes by a fused inseparable lower jaw, a single temporal opening, two pairs of well differentiated functional limbs which may be lacking in burrowing forms, external ears, and eyes with movable lids

broadly : any relatively long-bodied reptile (such as a crocodile or dinosaur) with legs and tapering tail

2

: leather made from lizard skin

Examples of lizard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Black-and-white Tegu lizard (Salvator merianae) Iguazu Falls, the waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the Brazil-Argentina border. —Christopher Harris, CBS News, 4 June 2026

Wildlife experts in Georgia are urging locals to keep on the lookout for any four-foot-long lizards wandering around the Peach State. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 June 2026

Some experts are also concerned that the lizards could spread exotic parasites to native wildlife and contaminate crops, as research shows tegus, like most reptiles, can carry salmonella. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026

The animals smuggled from Mexico, including Yucatán box turtles, Mexican box turtles, baby crocodiles, and Mexican beaded lizards, were picked up from an international airport in Ciudad Juarez, a border town that sits on the edge of west Texas. —Drew Pittock, USA Today, 30 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liserd, from Anglo-French lesarde, from Latin lacerta

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing lizard

• beaded lizard
• horned lizard
• lizard's tail
• lounge lizard
• monitor lizard
• thunder lizard

Rhymes for lizard

• blizzard
• gizzard
• izard
• wizard

Kids Definition

lizard

noun

liz·​ard ˈliz-ərd 

: any of a group of reptiles that can be told apart from the related snakes by their lower jaw which has the two halves joined and inseparable, by ears which are outside the body, by eyes with movable lids, and usually by two pairs of functional limbs