platypus

noun

Save Word

platy·pus | \ ˈpla-ti-pəs

, -ˌpu̇s

plural platypuses also platypi\ ˈpla-ti-ˌpī

, -ˌpē \

Definition of platypus

: a small carnivorous aquatic monotreme mammal (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) of eastern Australia and Tasmania that has a fleshy bill resembling that of a duck, dense fur, webbed feet, and a broad flattened tail

— called also duck-billed platypus

Example Sentences Phrases Containing platypus Learn More About platypus

Examples of platypus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The four-ounce layer is the platypus of run wear, resisting categories. — Christopher Solomon, Outside Online, 26 Apr. 2022 The authors of the study specifically looked at two platypus specimens kept at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and one specimen kept at the University of Nebraska State Museum. — Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Nov. 2020 Some people see a platypus, some people see a frog, and some people see this strange human. — Luke Leitch, Vogue, 13 Apr. 2021 The scientists think Orretherium tzen cohabited with Magallanodon baikashkenke, which was thought to have been an evolutionary step between a platypus or marsupial, and dinosaurs such as the long-necked titanosaur. — NBC News, 9 Apr. 2021 The springhare — whose coat glows a patchy pinkish-orange under UV light — joins the platypus and other mammals with this perplexing trait. — New York Times, 18 Feb. 2021 Two centuries later, the platypus continues to astound scientists. — Animals, 30 Dec. 2020 The platypus’s native predators include big fish such as Murray cod, birds of prey and dingos. — National Geographic, 11 Nov. 2020 The assessment echoes troubling findings reported earlier this year, which projected that the platypus population could decline between 47 and 66 percent by 2070. — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Nov. 2020 See More

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