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

The plant and algae eaters had a subset of that subset, and carnivores had the least diverse microbiomes of all. — Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, "No microbiome is an island, unprecedented survey of Hawaiian valley reveals," 28 Aug. 2019 The park service recommends that visitors stay at least 25 yards away from wild animals like bison and elk, and 100 yards from bears and other carnivores, at all times. — Ali Wunderman, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why People Keep Trying to Pet Animals at National Parks," 7 Aug. 2019 Photographs snapped by safari tourists are a surprisingly accurate way to assess populations of African carnivores. — Christopher Intagliata, Scientific American, "Tourist Photographs Help African Wildlife Census," 25 July 2019 Wilmers said his two most recent studies show how the mere presence of humans can alter the ecological role of large carnivores, impact the relationship between top predators and their prey, and possibly harm us. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Fearsome mountain lions high-tail it out of there when they hear human voices," 17 July 2019 Painted dogs have one of the most structured social orders of all carnivores, made up of an alpha female and male with subordinates beneath them. — Dallas News, "Dallas Zoo's new African painted dogs kill packmate," 4 July 2019 As Gorongosa’s carnivore expert, Ms. Bouley knew that Beira, the alpha female of the pack, had been pregnant when the dogs were set free. — Natalie Angier, New York Times, "Wild Pups Romp Again in an African Paradise," 3 Aug. 2019 These two cell types contribute to most of the taste and mouth-feel a carnivore experiences when biting into a burger or steak. — Natalie R. Rubio, The Conversation, "So far cultured meat has been burgers – the next big challenge is animal-free steaks," 5 July 2019 For millions of years, many species of vegetarian and omnivorous crocs roamed the earth, but why pro-plant crocs died out while their carnivore cousins stood the test of time remains a mystery. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Prehistoric Crocodiles Preferred Plants Over Prey," 28 June 2019

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.