Definition of lizard
1 : any of a suborder (Lacertilia) of reptiles distinguished from the snakes by a fused inseparable lower jaw, a single temporal opening, two pairs of well differentiated functional limbs which may be lacking in burrowing forms, external ears, and eyes with movable lids; broadly : any relatively long-bodied reptile (such as a crocodile or dinosaur) with legs and tapering tail
2 : leather made from lizard skin
From the M-W Editors
Recent Examples of lizard from the Web
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Gier’s Bass Pro reports: Crappies spotty on jigs and minnows in 25 feet of water over brush piles; black bass fair on lizards and topwater baits around docks; all other species slow.
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Striped whipsnake: This is another long, slender snake that’s out during the day (note its relatively large eyes for daytime hunting of insects, lizards and even other snakes) and is related to the North American racer.
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Except for his neck tattoo of a lizard, which — even more so than his arm tattoo of a rat — struck a discordant note.
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Unlike snake and lizard venom, the origins of the venom deployed by arthropods like spiders and centipedes are still a scientific mystery.
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Icke claims Princess Diana confirmed this to one of her close friends; other lizard theories (there are several) point to reptilian themes in ancient mythology.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lizard'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of lizard
Middle English liserd, from Anglo-French lesarde, from Latin lacerta
LIZARD Defined for English Language Learners
lizard
playDefinition of lizard for English Language Learners
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: a type of reptile that has four legs and a long body and tail
LIZARD Defined for Kids
lizard
playDefinition of lizard for Students
: a reptile with movable eyelids, ears that are outside the body, and usually four legs
Learn More about lizard
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See words that rhyme with lizard Spanish Central: Translation of lizard Nglish: Translation of lizard for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lizard for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lizard
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