lizard

noun

liz·ard | \ ˈli-zərd

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

Examples of lizard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Monika Klimowicz, the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds, also noted that this summer’s dry spell has meant there have been fewer insects, snakes, lizards, frogs and small mammals for the storks to feed on. — Vanessa Gera, The Seattle Times, "White storks leave Polish nests early after hot, dry summer," 21 Aug. 2018 Snakes, lizards, turtles and more On Sunday, June 10, head out to the Wehr Nature Center at Whitnall Park to get up close and personal with a variety of reptiles and amphibians from Wisconsin and around the world. — Amy Schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Nighttime animals, creepy-crawlies and searching for wildlife: 5 things to do with kids this June," 1 June 2018 The reptile house was particularly packed on Thursday night with the exhibit's array of snakes, lizards, and shelled animals putting on a show for onlookers. — Craig Hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Photos: Houston Zoo hosts its first-ever Brew at the Zoo event," 27 Apr. 2018 Prosecutors told jurors that Aprhil and her siblings lived in filthy and unsafe conditions where reptiles such as alligators, snakes and lizards were kept in containers, cages and small plastic pools that were easily accessible to the children. — Glenn E. Rice And Tony Rizzo, kansascity, "Alligators, snakes biased jurors against mom in Missouri child death case, court says | The Kansas City Star," 27 Mar. 2018 Small, lightweight water striders, for instance, rely entirely on surface tension to stay afloat, while the larger, heavier basilisk lizards employ a slapping motion with their feet that creates pockets of air bubbles to keep from sinking. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Geckos’ new superpower is running on water; now we know how they do it," 6 Dec. 2018 Gila Monsters: This large, venomous lizard has brightly colored skin with black markings. — Candace Taylor, WSJ, "A Desert Home Design Inspired by Paperweights," 8 Nov. 2018 In total, 7 percent of the lizards and snakes found Down Under are now threatened with extinction. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Australian Reptiles And a Toad Named After Gollum on Latest Endangered Species Update," 6 July 2018 The sandfish, a lizard about the size of a hand, can virtually dive and swim through it, whipping and churning its legs to take advantage of sand’s fluid or solid properties. — David L. Hu, WSJ, "Robot Design Goes Back to Nature," 9 Nov. 2018

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.