Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary thesaurus view recents

habitat

noun
Save Word
hab·​i·​tat | \ ˈha-bə-ˌtat How to pronounce habitat (audio) \

Definition of habitat

1a : 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 More Example Sentences Learn More about habitat

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for habitat

Synonyms

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

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 bats usually reside in dry savannah on the edge of woodlands but appear to have been driven from their normal habitat by climate change and deforestation due to the activities of logging companies. — Time, "How Our Modern World Creates Outbreaks Like Coronavirus," 7 Feb. 2020 The apes are brought to the conservation forest if they are injured, at risk from hunters or facing destruction of their habitats. — Emma Reynolds, CNN, "This orangutan saw a man wading in snake-infested water and decided to offer a helping hand," 7 Feb. 2020 When these wild animals are extracted from their natural habitat and come into close contact with people, very rare transmission events become much more likely. — Alan Rudolph, The Conversation, "Re-creating live-animal markets in the lab lets researchers see how pathogens like coronavirus jump species," 6 Feb. 2020 Swift is wearing an oversized shirt and absolutely glowing in her natural habitat. — Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, "The Biggest Revelation From 'Miss Americana' Is Taylor Swift's Maximalist Kitchen," 5 Feb. 2020 In its native jungle habitat in India and Malaysia, the plant can grow up to 100 feet tall. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, "Here's How to Care for a Rubber Plant," 29 Jan. 2020 The feudal calculus lives and breeds, but its habitat is wealth not land. — Adam Tooze, The New York Review of Books, "How ‘Big Law’ Makes Big Money," 28 Jan. 2020 Neither of them wants to kill it, but Hilda would take it home and keep it as a pet whereas her counterpart would prefer to leave the spider in its natural habitat. — Leah Marilla Thomas, refinery29.com, "Here’s What CAOS Is Teaching Us About Pagans… & What Pagans Actually Did," 27 Jan. 2020 Monarchs return to the same sites — and sometimes even the same trees — each year, so protecting their overwintering habitat is crucial for their survival. — Sophie Lewis, CBS News, "California's monarch butterfly population at critically low levels for 2nd year in a row," 23 Jan. 2020

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

See More

First Known Use of habitat

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for habitat

Latin, it inhabits, from habitare

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about habitat

Time Traveler for habitat

Time Traveler

The first known use of habitat was in 1796

See more words from the same year

Statistics for habitat

Last Updated

11 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Habitat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/habitat. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for habitat

habitat

noun
How to pronounce habitat (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of habitat

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

See the full definition for habitat in the English Language Learners Dictionary

habitat

noun
hab·​i·​tat | \ ˈha-bə-ˌtat How to pronounce habitat (audio) \

Kids Definition of habitat

: the place where a plant or animal grows or lives in nature

habitat

noun
hab·​i·​tat | \ ˈhab-ə-ˌtat How to pronounce habitat (audio) \

Medical Definition of habitat

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)

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on habitat

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for habitat

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with habitat

Spanish Central: Translation of habitat

Nglish: Translation of habitat for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of habitat for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about habitat

Comments on habitat

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

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

bootless

Listen to the pronounciation of bootless

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

More Confusing Words—Quiz

  • cats on impossible timber
  • The magician ______ moved the selected card to the top of the deck.
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

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

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games