critter

noun

crit·​ter ˈkri-tər 

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

Synonyms of critter

• animal
• creature

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

And as a big bonus, the feeder also keeps the bellies of other small critters full, too, which means lots of bird- and critter-watching year round. —Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Nov. 2025

Close the chimney flue to prevent drafts, moisture, or curious critters from sneaking in. —Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 12 Nov. 2025

There are also shots of her Elle Woods–style closet, her hanging off Fiyero’s arm in front of a crowd, and some CGI critter friends such as ferrets and giraffes. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025

SpongeBob is back, as are the colorful critters living in Zootopia. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

by alteration

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for critter

• bitter
• fitter
• fritter
• glitter
• hitter
• jitter
• knitter
• litter
• quitter
• ritter
• splitter
• titter

Kids Definition

critter

noun

crit·​ter ˈkrit-ər 

informal

: creature