carnivore

noun

car·​ni·​vore ˈkär-nə-ˌvȯr 

1

a

: 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 absence of tooth marks on the mandibles does not imply that other parts of the bodies were not consumed by hyenas or other carnivores. —CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026

The hominin bones and animal remains make up an assemblage of fossils that appear to come from the den of a carnivore, perhaps a hyena. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026

Diets like very low-calorie plans, carnivore diets, juice cleanses, single-food diets, and very low-fat diets are generally ineffective. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 6 Jan. 2026

High-tension and terrifying moments, like shark attacks or close encounters with hungry carnivores. —Frederick Dreier, Outside, 12 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Latin carnivorus

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Rhymes for carnivore

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• blastopore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore
• heretofore

Kids Definition

carnivore

noun

car·​ni·​vore ˈkär-nə-ˌvō(ə)r 

-ˌvȯ(ə)r

1

: a flesh-eating animal

especially : any of an order of flesh-eating mammals

2

: a plant that traps and digests insects