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

In the third episode, Attenborough and his crew break down the state-of-the-art photographic equipment that allowed their team to film in natural environments and animal habitats. —Tomris Laffly, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025

Baby Squid, Doo Doo Doo People have known about colossal squids for 100 years, but these enigmatic ocean denizens—which can grow to 23 feet in length—had never been observed in their natural habitat. —Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 25 Dec. 2025

Native to Mexico, these flowering plants are somewhat lanky shrubs in their natural habitat. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025

The area includes a mix of tidal salt marsh, brackish wetlands, saltwater, freshwater and wildlife habitats. —Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2025

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)