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
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Recent Examples of animals
The 49-year-old from Carver, Massachusetts is accused of running a dogfighting operation for years; breeding and training dogs for violence and subjecting the animals to disturbing and cruel conditions and punishment.
—
Juli McDonald, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
The movie depicts grisly scenes of death, torture and dismemberment involving humans and animals.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Certain strains of the bacteria have figured out how to live happily in the kidneys of apparently healthy animals, including wildlife (such as rodents, raccoons, marine mammals and skunks, but also reptiles and amphibians) and domestic animals (such as cattle, pigs, horses, even dogs and cats).
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
This Google Nest outdoor security camera comes built in with intelligent floodlights than can distinguish between different objects like people, animals, and vehicles.
—George Yang, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
Costars have long fallen for each other on set — and some of those loves have been animals.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
On the day Maron spoke with the American-Statesman, the rescue had already received about 30 animals, with more expected before the day ended.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Apr. 2026
That means Fatou has nearly doubled the lifespan of her wild counterparts — a fact that might spark big questions from curious kids about how animals age and why care makes such a difference.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Juli McDonald, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
The movie depicts grisly scenes of death, torture and dismemberment involving humans and animals.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Certain strains of the bacteria have figured out how to live happily in the kidneys of apparently healthy animals, including wildlife (such as rodents, raccoons, marine mammals and skunks, but also reptiles and amphibians) and domestic animals (such as cattle, pigs, horses, even dogs and cats).
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
This Google Nest outdoor security camera comes built in with intelligent floodlights than can distinguish between different objects like people, animals, and vehicles.
—George Yang, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
Costars have long fallen for each other on set — and some of those loves have been animals.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
On the day Maron spoke with the American-Statesman, the rescue had already received about 30 animals, with more expected before the day ended.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Apr. 2026
That means Fatou has nearly doubled the lifespan of her wild counterparts — a fact that might spark big questions from curious kids about how animals age and why care makes such a difference.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for animals
Noun
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Make Sure Your Problem Is Gophers Gophers are not the only tunneling creatures that can make a mess of your lawn.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
11 Apr. 2026
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Then there are the creatures that love to feast on the fruits, like squirrels, birds, and deer.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The beasts were, ostensibly, running a menacing communications conglomerate in a satellite tower looking over the main field of Coachella, but now they were spooked.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
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There are people who find dogs gross — the health risk posed by dogs in restaurants is low but not zero — and people whose grievance isn’t with the dogs per se but with the owners who willfully ignore the ways their furry beasts impose upon the world.—
Rachel Sugar,
Curbed,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Animals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/animals. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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