otter

noun

ot·​ter ˈä-tər 

plural otters also otter

1

: any of various largely aquatic carnivorous mammals (such as genus Lutra or Enhydra) of the weasel family that usually have webbed and clawed feet and dark brown fur

2

: the fur or pelt of an otter

Illustration of otter

• otter 1

Examples of otter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The otters, however, were not very subtle in their escape. —Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 12 June 2025

Young gators can become the prey of otters, fish, raccoons, wading birds and even larger alligators. —Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025

In the days that followed the accident, storms and currents spread the toxic muck throughout 1,300 miles of shoreline, claiming the lives of thousands of birds, fish, otters and other wildlife. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025

Officials initially believed the otters wouldn’t stray too far from the zoo, and might even return to their enclosure on their own. —Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English otre, oter, otir, going back to Old English otr, oter, otor, going back to Germanic *utra- (whence also Middle Dutch otter "otter," Old High German ottar, Old Norse otr), going back to Indo-European *ud-r-o- "aquatic animal" (whence also Sanskrit udráḥ "aquatic animal, otter," Avestan udra-) with a feminine variant *ud-r-eh₂-, whence Latin lutra "otter" (with unetymological l- and -t-), Russian výdra, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian vȉdra, Lithuanian ū́dra, Old Prussian udro (Balto-Slavic with vowel lengthening and acute accent), Greek hýdra "aquatic snake, hydra" (also hýdros "the grass snake Natrix natrix," énydris "otter"); both forms zero-grade derivatives of Indo-European *u̯ód-r-/*u̯ed-n- "water" — more at water entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing otter

• river otter
• sea otter

Rhymes for otter

• blotter
• cotter
• daughter
• hotter
• mater
• plotter
• rotter
• slaughter
• spotter
• squatter
• totter
• trotter

Kids Definition

otter

noun

ot·​ter ˈät-ər 

plural otter or otters

1

: any of several water-dwelling mammals that are related to the weasels and minks, have webbed feet with claws and dark brown fur, and feed on other animals (as fish, clams, and crabs) that live in or near the water compare sea otter

2

: the fur or pelt of an otter