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 What’s billed as the largest wildlife crossing in the world is rising over a 10-lane freeway near Los Angeles, while this summer saw the launch of an initiative seeking to leverage public and private resources to build more safe passages for critters across the state. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024 Step into the Mad Scientist Lab for a walk-through adventure filled with potions, creepy critters, and electrifying experiments. Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2024 Talking Kids Microscope $34 Amazon This talking microscope comes with 60 full-color slides of seeds, critters, and more. Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 27 Sep. 2024 After being abandoned on an unknown planet, Roz meets several critters, who are voiced by Hollywood A-listers. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 27 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for critter 

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 7 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

critter

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