as in creatures
one of the lower animals as distinguished from human beings
we saw a lot of animals at the wildlife refuge—cranes, alligators, deer, a fox, even an armadillo
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of animals
Bird flu spreads through feces and saliva, which can impact other animals and humans.
—
Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Research in this area is limited — and mostly in animals.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
No one has shown any symptoms, but authorities nonetheless were monitoring the health of people who recently came into contact with the animals.
—Wasamon Audjarint, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Deer are comparable in intelligence to other prey animals like sheep.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2026
Another provision allows pharmacists to provide ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug often prescribed for animals, over-the-counter for adults without a prescription.
—Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026
If there’s more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and less oxygen, for example, animals will be smaller and plants will thrive under those conditions, changing the balance of life.
—Big Think, 17 Feb. 2026
When the company unveiled the dire wolves in April 2025, some argued that even though Colossal analyzed ancient dire wolf DNA, some from 72,000 years ago, the animals were really spawned from a gray wolf genome with 20 genetic changes over 14 genes.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Research in this area is limited — and mostly in animals.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
No one has shown any symptoms, but authorities nonetheless were monitoring the health of people who recently came into contact with the animals.
—Wasamon Audjarint, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Deer are comparable in intelligence to other prey animals like sheep.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2026
Another provision allows pharmacists to provide ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug often prescribed for animals, over-the-counter for adults without a prescription.
—Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026
If there’s more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and less oxygen, for example, animals will be smaller and plants will thrive under those conditions, changing the balance of life.
—Big Think, 17 Feb. 2026
When the company unveiled the dire wolves in April 2025, some argued that even though Colossal analyzed ancient dire wolf DNA, some from 72,000 years ago, the animals were really spawned from a gray wolf genome with 20 genetic changes over 14 genes.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for animals
Noun
-
From droppings-mimicking spiders in Borneo to a tiny gecko tucked under bark in India, these creatures have been quietly perfecting their disguises while science is only now catching up — one DNA barcode, one micro-CT scan at a time.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The findings, published in the journal Nature, reveal a world recovering from devastation and teeming with strange, soft-bodied creatures whose delicate features were frozen in stone with astonishing detail.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Our team of a half dozen volunteers worked for a little over an hour, amazed at the size of these starchy beasts in the earthy soil.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Being trained in combat, and armed with swords, spears, and bows and arrows, the gladiators were able to turn the tables on the wild beasts; the result was another predictable slaughter, in this case of the animals.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Animals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/animals. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
