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 commission, which protects public access and environmental quality in the Coastal Zone, a strip of land that follows California’s shoreline, accused Levy of blocking public access to the beach, removing shorebird habitat and illegally installing the pickleball court. —Calmatters, Oc Register, 14 Jan. 2026

Those like the western diamondbacks are usually found in desert and plains habitats, Pandelis said, and are in the outer edge of their range in the D-FW area. —Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 14 Jan. 2026

Locals and wildlife experts say the Eaton fire exacerbated the situation, driving many bears out of their natural habitat in search of food, water and shelter. —Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026

That one was safely released into a suitable habitat nearby, a spokesperson for the organization previously told PEOPLE. —Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 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)