habitat

noun

hab·​i·​tat ˈha-bə-ˌtat 

1

a

: the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows

b

: the typical place of residence of a person or a group

the arctic habitat of the Inuit

c

: a housing for a controlled physical environment in which people can live under surrounding inhospitable conditions (as under the sea)

2

: the place where something is commonly found

… has its natural habitat in university, in government, or in industrial laboratories.

—B. B. Watson

Synonyms of habitat

• home
• territory
• range

Examples of habitat in a Sentence

a forest in California is set aside to preserve the unique brushy, rugged habitat required by nesting California condors

Recent Examples on the Web

The 2026 study, led by Curtin University in Australia, used environmental DNA to detect which species lived in deep water habitats in canyons off Western Australia’s Ningaloo coast. —Julia Gomez, USA Today, 7 May 2026

Turner’s land stewardship has also helped restore habitat for other rare and endangered species, from the cutthroat trout to the black-footed ferret. —Drew Kann, AJC.com, 7 May 2026

Protecting wildlife habitats shouldn’t be controversial. —Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026

The project provides a 50-year roadmap to protect endangered species and natural habitats, manage water and aquatic resources and create a fee system to offset environmental impacts from development. —Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 7 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, it inhabits, from habitare

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for habitat

• acrobat
• autocrat
• automat
• bundesrat
• bureaucrat
• butterfat
• caveat
• chemostat
• copycat
• cryostat
• democrat
• diplomat

Kids Definition

habitat

noun

hab·​i·​tat ˈhab-ə-ˌtat 

: the place or type of place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows

Medical Definition

habitat

noun

hab·​i·​tat ˈhab-ə-ˌtat 

1

: the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally occurs

the human pubic region is the natural habitat of the crab louse

2

: a housing for a controlled physical environment in which people can live surrounded by inhospitable conditions (as under the sea)