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. 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
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
Articles Related to critter
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.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share