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

See manatees, alligators, and more in their natural habitats at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park or Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. — Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2026

Plus, the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, a Smithsonian affiliate, features a planetarium and a manatee rehabilitation habitat. — Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 23 June 2026

Visitors can walk 7 miles of trails and see 140 bird species and animals such as manatees, dolphins, alligators, otters, bobcats, sea turtles and gopher tortoises. — Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026

Wildlife in the park includes bald eagles, ospreys and manatees. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 May 2026

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