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

One of the two nests spotted this year was found inside a patch of barley left as a habitat by a farmer, with the other nest located less than a mile away, according to the charity. — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Discover the different habitats that live in Del Valley in this less-than-one-mile hike with a naturalist. — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026

Wildlife managers and volunteers will be closing more than 14 miles of stream and tributaries in Rocky Mountain National Park on Monday to start a weeklong operation meant to clear new habitat for Colorado's state fish. — Logan Smith, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026

The pair also donated conservation easements in a series of transactions over the years that now protect 168 acres of forest land and wildlife habitat in Washington on the Spring Hill Wildlife Sanctuary on Orcas Island’s Mount Woolard. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 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)