mammal

noun

mam·mal | \ ˈma-məl

Definition of mammal

: any of a class (Mammalia) of warm-blooded higher vertebrates (such as placentals, marsupials, or monotremes) that nourish their young with milk secreted by mammary glands, have the skin usually more or less covered with hair, and include humans

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Other Words from mammal

mammalian \ mə-ˈmā-lē-ən ,

ma- \ adjective or noun

mammal-like also mammallike adjective

mammal-like behavior mammallike reptiles

Examples of mammal in a Sentence

Human beings, dogs, and cats are all mammals.

Recent Examples on the Web

Another venomous mammal, the solenodon, evolved more than 70 million years ago and is still around on a couple of Caribbean islands. — Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, "20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Poison," 25 Sep. 2018 The topics are as follows: Turtles and tortoises, small mammals, snakes and lizards, farm animals, birds and wildlife. — Courant Community, "Community News For The Wethersfield Edition," 10 July 2018 In California, another iconic mammal, the mountain lion, is also facing threats from development. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "Can the Koala Genome Save the Species From Deforestation and Chlamydia?," 2 July 2018 So while there is not a lot of information on reward pathway activity in people during in-group versus out-group social situations, there are some tantalizing results from studies on other mammals. — Leslie Henderson, Scientific American, "Why Our Brains See the World as "Us" versus "Them"," 22 June 2018 Giraffes are renowned for being the tallest land mammal, and the Masai subspecies can mature to 17 ft. — Saryn Chorney, PEOPLE.com, "L.A. Zoo's New Baby Masai Giraffe Arrives Just in Time to Celebrate World Giraffe Day," 21 June 2018 The individual experiences, which come with a surcharge ranging from $45 to $85, focus on specific marine mammals, although one of the offerings, the Family Adventure Tour, is more broad-based. — Lori Weisberg, sandiegouniontribune.com, "SeaWorld debuts up-close encounters with otters, seals, flamingos — for a charge," 20 June 2018 Typically, the snakes feed on mammals (up to the size of deer) and birds, but they've been seen eating more dangerous targets like alligators. — National Geographic, "Python Swallows Woman Whole—What Experts Say About the Rare Attack," 18 June 2018 While coyotes usually prey on small mammals like mice, voles and rabbits, dogs are particularly at risk this time of year, according to Andrew Rutter, a wildlife biologist with the Lake County Forest Preserve District. — Steve Sadin, chicagotribune.com, "Coyote kills pet chihuahua in backyard of Deerfield home," 11 May 2018

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

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Last Updated

14 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for mammal

The first known use of mammal was in 1813

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More Definitions for mammal

mammal

noun

English Language Learners Definition of mammal

: a type of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair or fur covering most of its skin

See the full definition for mammal in the English Language Learners Dictionary

mammal

noun

mam·mal | \ ˈma-məl

Kids Definition of mammal

: a warm-blooded animal (as a dog, mouse, bear, whale, or human being) with a backbone that feeds its young with milk produced by the mother and has skin usually more or less covered with hair