plural fossils
1
: something (such as a leaf, skeleton, or footprint) that is from a plant or animal which lived in ancient times and that you can see in some rocks
a dinosaur fossil
—sometimes used before another nounfossil [=fossilized] footprints
2
informal
: a person whose ideas are very old-fashioned or out-of-date
He says the school's directors are a bunch of old fossils. [=fogies]
Cite this Entry
“Fossil.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/fossil. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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