Definition of dinosaur
1 : any of a group (Dinosauria) of extinct often very large chiefly terrestrial carnivorous or herbivorous reptiles of the Mesozoic era
2 : any of various large extinct reptiles (such as ichthyosaurs) other than the true dinosaurs
3 : one that is impractically large, out-of-date, or obsolete The factory is now a rusting dinosaur.
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Examples of dinosaur in a Sentence
The old factory is now a rusting dinosaur.
The character she plays is a dinosaur—a former beauty queen who is living in the past.
Recent Examples of dinosaur from the Web
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The two are obsessive rivals in search of dinosaur fossils in the dangerous and unpredictable West.
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The Australian National University announced last week that users discovered a star that exploded 970 million years ago, well before dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
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So this activity book, cleverly modeled after an old-fashioned tabloid (albeit one aimed at a dinosaur audience in 65 million B.C.), arrives just in time.
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The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History held an official re-naming ceremony Tuesday to reclaim the name Brontosaurus for the jewel of their collection of dinosaur exhibits.
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Historically, the idea of extracting DNA from an Egyptian mummy has been a bit like trying to suck dinosaur DNA out an insect trapped in amber: a tantalizing prospect, but still more myth than science.
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About six miles from Fátima is the Serra de Aire national park, which is home to the world’s largest collection of sauropod dinosaur footprints.
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Indeed, extinct animals are often entered; past World Championships featured dinosaurs.
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Bigger than dinosaurs, bigger than mastodons, a blue whale can reach up to almost 100 feet long and have been weighed at as much as 191 tons.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dinosaur'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of dinosaur
New Latin Dinosaurus, genus name, from Greek deinos terrifying + sauros lizard — more at dire
First Known Use: 1841
DINOSAUR Defined for English Language Learners
dinosaur
playDefinition of dinosaur for English Language Learners
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: one of many reptiles that lived on Earth millions of years ago
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: someone or something that is no longer useful or current : an obsolete or out-of-date person or thing
DINOSAUR Defined for Kids
dinosaur
playDefinition of dinosaur for Students
: any of a group of extinct often very large mostly land-dwelling reptiles that lived millions of years ago
Learn More about dinosaur
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See words that rhyme with dinosaur Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dinosaur Spanish Central: Translation of dinosaur Nglish: Translation of dinosaur for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dinosaur for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dinosaur
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