SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

endangered species

noun

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

Definition of endangered species

: a species threatened with extinction; broadly : anyone or anything whose continued existence is threatened

Recent Examples of endangered species from the Web

Among those are 63 state and four federally listed threatened and endangered species and species of concern.

— frank abderholden, Lake County News-Sun, "Observation deck planned for Winthrop Harbor nature preserve off Lake Michigan," 2 Feb. 2018
Michele Weaver, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife endangered species specialist, said the agency is aware of the general decline in mussels nationally but acknowledged little is known about the overall status of western pearlshell in Oregon.

— OregonLive.com, "Study: Key freshwater mussel not reproducing in Willamette River," 2 Nov. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'endangered species.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of endangered species

1923

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Learn More about endangered species

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about endangered species

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up endangered species? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

mollycoddle

play

to treat with excessive attention

BROWSE DICTIONARY

endangered

endangered list

endangered species

endaortic

endarch

Test Your Vocabulary

April 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is the best synonym of traduce?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-5ae23d5d250bd

'Rather Than': Is It a Conjunction or Preposition?

It's both, and here's why.

alt-5ae227cf365c4

‘Magnate’ and ‘Magnet’: Poles Apart

This is kind of a Big Deal

All the Hits

8 obscure words for bodily harm

alt-5adf93a49b0b2

The Fossil Encased in "Case In Point"

"In point" only lives in this phrase.

Ask the Editors

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

video-literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

rain-on-rainbow-umbrella

April 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

The rhyming verb edition.

Take the quiz

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Test your knowledge of strange human behaviors.

Take the quiz

Name That Thing

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game