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

Officials hope to repopulate vulnerable species Giant pandas once roamed vast swaths of China, northern Myanmar and Vietnam, but their habitats shrank due to human encroachment and climate change. — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026

The Democratic Obama and Biden administrations banned leasing on roughly half the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which is home to wildlife such as caribou and polar bears and provides habitat for millions of migrating birds. — Becky Bohrer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

Supporters pointed to the environmental impact report, which found that those problems could be mitigated and resulted in the habitat preservation included in the proposal. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Teledyne says the technology could eventually support lunar habitats, surface infrastructure and other systems requiring reliable power in harsh environments. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 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)