domestic animal

noun

: any of various animals (such as the horse or sheep) domesticated so as to live and breed in a tame condition

Examples of domestic animal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As a result, animal rehabilitators in the area are busy rescuing cows, horses, pigs, goats, dogs, and other domestic animals. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024 Lester Paul Richmond, 36, was facing a Grand Jury warrant for animal cruelty after a Dec. 20 indictment on one count of intentionally subjecting a domestic animal to cruel mistreatment, a Class 5 felony, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 22 Feb. 2024 Yet evolving into eye candy for humans has meant that designer ball pythons, when viewed at the species level, enjoy some of the evolutionary advantages of domestic animals, including wide dispersal. Rebecca Giggs, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 The town of Cary is enforcing a 50-year-old ordinance requiring all domestic animals, including cats, to be leashed outside their owner’s property. Heather Hunter, Washington Examiner, 14 Jan. 2024 Many domestic animals, such as dogs, horses, and sheep, have been shown to suffer from narcolepsy, a sleep disorder in which the animal suddenly falls asleep. Discover Magazine, 13 Jan. 2024 Dogs performed many different roles in North American Indigenous communities, including transportation, that in other parts of the world were done by multiple other domestic animals. Chris Stantis, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2023 Disturbance by humans and domestic animals like cats and dogs can also force migrating and wintering birds to expend unnecessary energy, which can lead breeding plovers to abandon their nests and young. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Nov. 2023 The problem is when the virus spills over to domestic animals or humans. Emily Mullin, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'domestic animal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1743, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of domestic animal was in 1743

Dictionary Entries Near domestic animal

Cite this Entry

“Domestic animal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/domestic%20animal. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

domestic animal

noun
: any of various domesticated animals (as the horse or sheep)

More from Merriam-Webster on domestic animal

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