manatee

noun

man·​a·​tee ˈma-nə-ˌtē 

: any of a genus (Trichechus of the family Trichechidae) of large, herbivorous, aquatic mammals that inhabit warm coastal and inland waters of the southeastern U.S., West Indies, northern South America, and West Africa and have a rounded body, a small head with a squarish snout, paddle-shaped flippers usually with vestigial nails, and a flattened, rounded tail used for propulsion

Note: Manatees are sirenians related to and resembling the dugong but differing most notably in the shape of the tail.

An aquatic relative of the elephant, manatees grow up to nine feet long and can weigh 1,000 pounds.

—Felicity Barringer

Illustration of manatee

Examples of manatee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Each winter, when the surrounding waters cool, hundreds of West Indian manatees migrate to the park’s crystal-clear spring, where the temperature remains 72 degrees year-round. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 14 Oct. 2025

For Slusser, the Seaquarium holds countless memories — from watching killer whales drench the audience during their shows to seeing nurse sharks and manatees being fed. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025

And in winter, springs that attract manatees can be equally crowded. —Christopher F. Meindl, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025

The zoo is already rehabbing three other manatees named Clawford, Sabal and Cobble, who are under the care of a momma manatee, Stubby, who will be the foster mother to all six. —Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish manatí, probably of Carib origin; akin to Antillean Carib manattoüi manatee

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for manatee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

manatee

noun

man·​a·​tee ˈman-ə-ˌtē 

: any of several chiefly tropical water-dwelling mammals that eat plants and differ from the related dugong especially in having the tail broad and rounded