Tyrannosaurus rex

noun

Ty·​ran·​no·​sau·​rus rex tə-ˌra-nə-ˈsȯr-əs-ˈreks How to pronounce Tyrannosaurus rex (audio)
(ˌ)tī-
variants or Tyrannosaurus Rex or less commonly Tyrannosaurus or tyrannosaurus or tyrannosaurus rex
plural Tyrannosaurus rexes or Tyrannosaurus Rexes also Tyrannosauruses or tyrannosauruses or tyrannosaurus rexes
: a massive North American bipedal tyrannosaurid dinosaur (Tyrannosaurus rex) of the late Cretaceous with a large skull, heavy tail, and reduced forelimbs having two clawed digits : tyrannosaur sense 1
Tyrannosaurus rex was … one of the biggest meat-eaters ever. It was over 40 feet tall, and weighed up to 7 tons!Wendy Larson
A study of the running ability of Tyrannosaurus Rex … suggests that the king of the prehistoric jungle wasn't quite the speedster we once thought.Andrea Dorfman et al.
During this period, many groups of dinosaurs, including the fearsome tyrannosaurus and the three-horned triceratops, reached their greatest size, 12 meters (40 feet) and 9 meters (30 feet) long, respectively.Joseph Wallace
… in a room full of Tyrannosaurus rexes I meet museum volunteers … who are using brushes and tiny picks on fossils in an area where people can watch and ask questions.Mel White
True, there may no longer be actual tyrannosauruses running amok, but there are still dinosaur descendants hanging around, and they may even be in your backyard: birds, of course!Emily Graham

called also T. rex

Examples of Tyrannosaurus rex in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the past two years, multiple studies have sought to clarify whether the animal known as Tyrannosaurus rex in fact represented a single species. Asher Elbein, Scientific American, 24 Sep. 2024 New dinosaur discovery may be the closest relative to Tyrannosaurus rex, scientists say Researchers expect to not only discover more species from the fossils that were collected but to find more skeletons if and when additional excavations commence. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2024 There are no cousins of Tyrannosaurus rex stomping through the vast woods of Siberia, no Apatosaurus ambling through the Congo rainforest. Hans Sues, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2024 The McDonald's Dinosaur in Tucson Not to be outdone by teal arches, a Tucson McDonald's has a life-size Tyrannosaurus rex statue near its entrance. Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 2 Aug. 2024 Of course, there’s also the conspicuous absence of Tyrannosaurus rex wandering around. Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 31 July 2024 Around 66 million years ago, the iconic and terrifying Tyrannosaurus rex roamed the planet. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 July 2024 It is now believed that dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex may have been similarly endowed. New Atlas, 24 July 2024 The Cretaceous period is known for its prehistoric titans like the Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops — and as the last dinosaur age. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 18 July 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Tyrannosaurus rex.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Tyrannosaurus rex was in 1905

Dictionary Entries Near Tyrannosaurus rex

Cite this Entry

“Tyrannosaurus rex.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Tyrannosaurus%20rex. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!