carnivorous

adjective

car·niv·o·rous | \ kär-ˈni-v(ə-)rəs

Definition of carnivorous

1 : subsisting or feeding on animal tissues

2 of a plant : subsisting on nutrients obtained from the breakdown of animal protoplasm (as of insects)

3 : of or relating to the carnivores

4 : rapacious

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Examples of carnivorous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The creatures have been identified as Velella velella, a bluish, carnivorous animal related to jellyfish. — Mark Price, charlotteobserver, "One of the world's top beaches is a 'blue carpet of slime' after creatures wash ashore," 2 May 2018 Fluoxetine, the generic form of Prozac, now comes in dozens of pet-friendly flavors, including peanut butter, apple and molasses, double grape, double liver, double beef, double fish, and — for the especially carnivorous depressive — triple fish. — David Scharfenberg, BostonGlobe.com, "Did humans drive this polar bear insane?," 13 July 2018 Using a lab setting and tiny, carnivorous Linyphiid spiders known as Erigone, the scientists were able to create uniform electric fields and observe the spiders abilities without any unexpected wind or environmental factors getting in the way. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Spiders Can Harness Electric Fields to Fly," 5 July 2018 What if his teeth weren’t perfectly straight and even, and looked slightly more carnivorous? — Ciara Wardlow, The Hollywood Reporter, "Where 'Avengers' Should Have Embraced the Uncanny," 28 Apr. 2018 The grounds of the Old U.S. Mint now hold Louisiana irises, carnivorous pitcher plants, pickerel weed, spider lily, aquatic milkweed, swamp goldenrod and swamp Sunflowers, all in a large sugar kettle. — Kendra Parks, NOLA.com, "Master gardeners celebrate the tricentennial and bring native plants back to New Orleans," 24 May 2018 For lighter fare, tuna and salmon can make a great burger, and a black bean base can take things into a vegetarian direction that might even challenge carnivorous bias. — Chuck Blount, San Antonio Express-News, "5 alternative burger recipes that go beyond the beef," 21 May 2018 All of the other animals, most of them carnivorous exotics like tigers and lions and bears, were killed by police. — Longreads, "Wild At Heart," 17 May 2018 The flytrap has been reduced to less than 5 percent of its natural abundance because of its rarity, the scientists say — its carnivorous appetite and because it's found only in small parts of the Carolinas coast and sandhills. — Bruce Henderson, charlotteobserver, "NC's insect-gobbling Venus flytrap is at the brink of extinction. Help might be on the way. | Charlotte Observer," 11 May 2018

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