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 Gulf of Masirah was also the most important ASWH habitat. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 19 June 2026

The beavers’ work has also created a mosaic of different habitats, encouraging other animals to flock to the site, including birds, butterflies, bats and even freshwater shrimp and fish. —Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 18 June 2026

The 50,000-acre property in southern Indiana is the state’s second-largest parcel of public land and offers limited but prized deer and turkey hunting and varied habitats that are regularly used by rare and even endangered species of birds, amphibians, and invertebrates. —Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026

The calendars that remain, found in attics and at church book sales, have become invaluable, teaching botanists how rising temperatures have altered flower habitat. —Literary Hub, 18 June 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)