invertebrate

adjective

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in·ver·te·brate | \ (ˌ)in-ˈvər-tə-brət

, -ˌbrāt \

Definition of invertebrate

1 : lacking a spinal column also : of, relating to, or concerned with invertebrate animals

2 : lacking in strength or vitality : weak

Other Words from invertebrate Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More About invertebrate

Examples of invertebrate in a Sentence

an invertebrate Congress that blithely went along with the President's ill-conceived plan

Recent Examples on the Web Surveying invertebrate life is freelance ecologist and entomologist Graeme Lyons. — Victoria Turk, Wired, 19 July 2022 Warmer, more acidic waters may also produce less of the invertebrate prey the whales prefer. — Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 July 2022 Thermal cameras or x-ray technology used to detect vertebrates doesn’t work for most invertebrate species. — Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2022 Over four pounds of that rock went toward studying invertebrate life, exposing insects to the lunar particles by mixing it with their food. — Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 1 June 2022 When the law was updated in 1984 under Gov. George Deukmejian, the reference to invertebrates was removed, but the new law protected the Trinity bristle snail, an invertebrate mollusk that lives on land. — Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 May 2022 Octopuses are a specific type of invertebrate called cephalopods. — Erin Spencer, The Conversation, 9 May 2022 In a small room in a building at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the invertebrate keeper, Emma Califf, lifts up a rock in a plastic box. — New York Times, 3 May 2022 And 2 out of 5 species of invertebrate pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, are on the path toward extinction, a 2016 United Nations science report said. — Seth Borenstein, ajc, 20 Apr. 2022 See More

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