1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

specimens

noun

plural of specimen
1
as in men
a member of the human race he's a particularly handsome specimen

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in examples
one of a group or collection that shows what the whole is like chose one frog as a good specimen of the breed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 specimens The technology enables the scanning of objects to create thousands of X-rays, resulting in 3D renderings that can peer inside structures without damaging specimens — such as the inside of a snake’s tail. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026 Holotype specimens serve as a main standard-bearer and reference point for the physical characteristics of a species, so that scientists can compare and contrast them to see if a specimen belongs to one species or another. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026 The bug specimens were among 50,000 collected between 1995 and 2004 by researchers from the American Museum of Natural History and Australian collaborators, some of which have taken years to study and describe, according to the release. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026 Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History and Australian collaborators collected the Swiftiephylus specimens between 1995 and 2004. — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2026 Her mentor and co-author Christiane Weirauch and other scientists had collected 593 specimens during expeditions to Australia more than 20 years ago, which had subsequently sat on a shelf waiting to be examined. — Brad Balukjian, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2026 The pair examined 593 specimens collected throughout Australia between 1995 and 2004 and described 12 new species across five new genera. — Bryan West, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 Though the insects are new to science, the specimens themselves have been waiting decades to be formally described. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026 Its collections include more than 19 million scientific specimens and archival treasures. — Ross Dimattei, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specimens
  1. men
  2. examples
  3. guys
  4. samples
  5. creatures
  6. lives
  7. people
  8. things
Noun
  • Founder David Vargas coaches members — the gym is men-only — on everything from their diets to their relationships with their families.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Three years later, Wuornos began her killing spree, fatally shooting seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of men
Noun
  • There are also horrifying incidents of helplessness and despair, as well as touching examples of hope, faith and redemption.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
  • And yet Trump wants to turn the White House and an outpost on the Potomac into similar citadels, with little regard for why America’s capital city was named for one of its greatest examples of unadorned republican virtue.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of examples
Noun
  • The Chicago White Sox’s strength for most of this crazy season has been their bullpen depth, with Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson, Sean Newcomb and now Hagen Smith as their main leverage guys.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The locals don't even blink at the sight of guys like this who are about to delete 32 beers.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of guys
Noun
  • The new molecular testing uses technology to look for genetic material of specific viruses within mosquito samples.
    — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The walls and the back of benches had samples of court documents and a QR code for address changes.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of samples
Noun
  • Riparian habitats, like creeks flowing through canyons, are home to sensitive creatures including California newts, frogs and toads.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Director/co-writer Zach Cregger has fashioned a movie with original characters set in the world of the games, where a virus outbreak caused by the nefarious Umbrella Corporation threatens the world with zombies and other hard-to-re-kill creatures.
    — Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of creatures
Noun
  • Tragedies aside, some decent people lead happy lives and many do not; some wicked people suffer and many do not.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • So while high-dimensional spheres might not exist in the physical world, our digital lives run more smoothly because of them.
    — Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of lives
Noun
  • Another 13 people were wounded on downtown Sacramento’s K Street and 10th Street, in what became the deadliest mass shooting in the city’s history.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026
  • Organizers say more than 125,000 people are expected throughout the event, bringing in millions of dollars for the local economy.
    — Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Definition of people
Noun
  • But thankfully, Lisa Hochstein’s lingerie party sets things back on course.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Venus in your daily-life zone connects awkwardly with Uranus in your sign, increasing your appetite for novelty, movement, or a different way of doing things.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of things

Browse Nearby Words

specimen
specimens
specious
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Specimens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specimens. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of pundit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All