critter

noun

crit·​ter ˈkri-tər How to pronounce critter (audio)
informal
: an animal : creature sense 1
Most of her sublime illustrations involve hippos and pigs, which are appealing critters, especially when they have a few chocolate smudges around the mouth.People Weekly
When the wind is blowing just so, the field is set afire on three sides, and all manner of critters get flushed out of one end—snakes, possums, raccoons, and rabbits, lots of rabbits.Alexander Wolff
Flies, gnats, mosquitoes, ticks, mites and lice pester your horse year-round. If you ignore them, these critters can cause your equine friend months of misery.Charlene Strickland
sometimes used of a person
Sale admits that humans, being the relatively big-brained critters we are, cannot do without technology …M. Kujawa

Examples of critter in a Sentence

The woods are filled with skunks, raccoons, and other critters. she's so fond of every kind of critter that she ought to be a veterinarian
Recent Examples on the Web In 1903, Steiff sold 3,000 of the critters to a New York department store. Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2023 Not all are dangerous, though; there are odd little critters that somehow double as gas masks or flashlights. Andrew Webster, The Verge, 23 Nov. 2023 An abundance of critters—snakes, lobsters, cows, and even a mermaid—put us further in touch with nature at Y/Project and Valentino, as did playful droplet shapes and Courrèges and Tory Burch. José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2023 Catfish are tough critters with good catch-and-release survival rates. Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 15 Nov. 2023 Gone are the static animals of yore, replaced by a bevy of animatronic and mechanical critters, self-playing instruments and a dazzling, functional waterwheel, a throwback to the original Swiss Family Treehouse that opened at Disneyland in 1962. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023 The corals were also crawling with critters, including squat lobsters, feathery brittle stars, and dense patches of anemones and sponges. Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 2 Nov. 2023 The mixed animal edition has guest appearances by koalas, ducklings, and other cute critters. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 24 Oct. 2023 Gut critters: various small animals, insects and invertebrates who lived in the stomach and were occasionally vomited. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'critter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

by alteration

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of critter was in 1815

Dictionary Entries Near critter

Cite this Entry

“Critter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critter. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

critter

noun
crit·​ter ˈkrit-ər How to pronounce critter (audio)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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