carnivore

car·ni·vore | \ ˈkär-nə-ˌvȯr

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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 Winner By a Tail Paleontologists have long suspected that the giant carnivore Spinosaurus spent much of its time around the water. — Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, "The Top Ten Dinosaur Discoveries of 2020," 23 Dec. 2020 But social media followings shouldn't obscure all the reasons why a carnivore diet isn't a good idea. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Good Housekeeping, "What You Need to Know About the Carnivore Diet," 14 Dec. 2020 The small-carnivore’s large eyes may have given it an advantage, especially during the dark months. — Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, "How Dinosaurs Thrived in the Snow," 3 Dec. 2020 But northern Minnesota was so sparsely populated that there was enough land and prey for hundreds of wolves to survive even as hunters targeted them, said Dan Stark, large carnivore specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). — Greg Stanley, Star Tribune, "Why is Minn. the only mainland state with an abundance of wolves?," 27 Nov. 2020 This is a carnivore’s ultimate countdown to Christmas. — Christina Vercelletto, CNN Underscored, "30 amazing Advent calendars that make December so much merrier," 10 Nov. 2020 This is a carnivore’s ultimate countdown to Christmas. — Christina Vercelletto, CNN Underscored, "30 amazing Advent calendars that make December so much merrier," 10 Nov. 2020 This is a carnivore’s ultimate countdown to Christmas. — Christina Vercelletto, CNN Underscored, "30 amazing Advent calendars that make December so much merrier," 10 Nov. 2020 This slippery carnivore, endemic to India, China, and the Malay Archipelago, is displacing other species and disrupting the freshwater food chain. — Rebecca Renner, National Geographic, "Intensifying hurricanes are helping invasive species spread across the U.S.," 22 Oct. 2020

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.