anteater

noun

ant·eat·er | \ ˈant-ˌē-tər

Definition of anteater

: any of several mammals that feed largely or entirely on ants or termites: such as

a : any of a family (Myrmecophagidae) of New World edentates with a long narrow snout, a long tongue, and large salivary glands that includes the giant anteater and tamandua

b : pangolin

c : echidna

d : aardvark

Examples of anteater in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a 2017 investigation, National Geographic found an anteater slurping up pink yogurt, an underweight manatee being fed soy milk with a baby bottle, and sloths—which sleep 22 hours a day in the wild—being passed around among excited tourists. — Kirsten Luce, National Geographic, "How one Amazon community is trying to move on from illegal wildlife tourism," 15 Aug. 2019 This isn’t the first time a study has changed an animal’s species designation: In 2016, one species of giraffe was split into four, and in 2017, one species of silky anteater devolved into seven. — Rachel Fobar, National Geographic, "Endangered armadillos are being turned into carnival rattles," 22 Feb. 2019 The jaguar appears to lunge for its potential prey, but the anteater stands up, opens its arms wide, and lashes out at the jaguar with claw flashing. — National Geographic, "Giant Anteater Faces Off With Jaguar, Leaves Unimpressed," 7 Mar. 2018 Africa’s pangolins are under increasing threat from traffickers who sell the meat as well as the scales of the anteater for use in traditional Chinese medicine. — Washington Post, "In South Africa, plans for a refuge for pangolins in peril," 16 June 2018 There was no pictures of the suspect anteater in another pose. — Cleve R. Wootson Jr., chicagotribune.com, "This picture of an anteater won a top wildlife photo prize. But the anteater was stuffed.," 27 Apr. 2018 Behold, the taxidermied anteater, which does look suspiciously like the one from the final photo: Cabral continues to claim that his image was authentic, though the judges are wholly unconvinced. — Gabriella Paiella, The Cut, "Wildlife Photographer of the Year Disqualified After Judges Conclude He Used a Stuffed Animal," 30 Apr. 2018 Discovery Cove, SeaWorld Orlando’s day resort, has introduced more add-on activities to its lineup, including the opportunity to go behind the scenes with otters, anteaters and sloths. — Dewayne Bevil, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Discovery Cove adds animal tour, massage options," 4 June 2018 Owen considered the animal might have been an insect-eater, breaking open termite nests like an anteater, but it is now known to have been herbivorous in its habits. — Smithsonian, "How Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Evolved," 8 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anteater.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.