carnivore

noun

car·ni·vore | \ˈkär-nə-ˌvȯr

Definition of carnivore

1a : an animal (such as a dog, fox, crocodile, or shark) that feeds primarily or exclusively on animal matter : a carnivorous animal Among the plankton are numerous diminutive but voracious carnivores, including small jellyfishes and comb jellies, saber-toothed creatures called arrowworms or chaetognaths, and a host of crustaceans and small fishes.— Gregory A. Wray As big as a bull elephant, T. rex weighed 15 times as much as the largest carnivores living on land today.— Erik Stokstad Carnivores [=people who eat meat] will appreciate the restaurant's refined version of surf-and-turf: steak au poivre matched with sweet, large prawns.— Matthew DeBord

b : any of an order (Carnivora) of animals that feed primarily or exclusively on animal matter : carnivoran Farther back in their mouths lie some special teeth known as the carnassials. These are the hallmark of the true carnivores, or canivorans—members of a great order of placental mammals, the Carnivora.— Richard H. Tedford

2 : a carnivorous plant the Venus flytrap and other carnivores subsisting on insects

Examples of carnivore in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Non-carnivores had to settle for french fries or fried dough. — Billboard, "5 Summer Music Festivals Foodies Can't Miss," 6 July 2018 They are classified as carnivores but will eat almost anything. — Cheryl Conley, Houston Chronicle, "The top dog: Coyotes are interesting canines," 10 July 2018 Since then, wildlife officials have redoubled efforts to help residents find ways to live in harmony with these carnivores. — Christopher Bendana, The Christian Science Monitor, "Uganda's pride: Lions test locals' patience," 27 June 2018 In a more practical sense, the nesting carnivore’s foraging for food in the meadows and fields is a comforting sign that all is ecologically well here. — L. Kim Tan, BostonGlobe.com, "In Latvia, we got carried away with storks," 26 June 2018 Dirofilaria are usually found in dogs or other carnivores, according to the CDC, but have been known to infest humans, too, especially in Europe and with certain species - D. repens, D. tenuis and D. immitis (better known as heartworm in dogs). — Lindsey Bever, chicagotribune.com, "Blemishes moving around Russian woman's face turned out to be a parasitic worm," 22 June 2018 According to the case report, the parasites spread by mosquitoes typically to dogs and other carnivores. — Alexandria Hein, Fox News, "'Migrating' bumps on woman's face discovered to be parasite," 21 June 2018 Cruises can also get a memorable green-screen photo taken alongside the enigmatic carnivores. — Richard Tribou, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Princess Cruises embraces Shark Week all summer long," 19 June 2018 One of Tasmania’s most prominent tiger-hunting groups, the Thylacine Research Unit, or T.R.U., looked at the images and pronounced the animal a quoll, a marsupial carnivore that looks vaguely like a weasel. — Brooke Jarvis, The New Yorker, "The Obsessive Search for the Tasmanian Tiger," 16 Jan. 2012

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