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
People WeeklyWhen 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
Alexander WolffFlies, 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 personCharlene StricklandSale admits that humans, being the relatively big-brained critters we are, cannot do without technology …—M. Kujawa
M. KujawaExamples 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
Then the parasite must travel to the critter's salivary glands, where it's poised to be injected into the mosquito's next victim via a bite.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 23 July 2025
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve gives visitors the opportunity to explore a 3,400-acre wetland ecosystem crawling with native critters like otters, turtles, alligators, and wading birds.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 20 July 2025
Users were tasked with taking care of their virtual pet by pressing buttons that simulate feeding, disciplining and playing with the critter on screen.
—Michelle Chapman, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2025
The critters landed by plane at Waukesha Airport in Wisconsin then made a three-hour journey by van to Chicago.
—Christine Fernando, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for critter
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Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 23 July 2025
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve gives visitors the opportunity to explore a 3,400-acre wetland ecosystem crawling with native critters like otters, turtles, alligators, and wading birds.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 20 July 2025
Users were tasked with taking care of their virtual pet by pressing buttons that simulate feeding, disciplining and playing with the critter on screen.
—Michelle Chapman, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2025
The critters landed by plane at Waukesha Airport in Wisconsin then made a three-hour journey by van to Chicago.
—Christine Fernando, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for critter
Cite this Entry
“Critter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critter. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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