vertebrate

noun

Definition of vertebratenext
as in animal
biology an animal that has a backbone

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar 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 vertebrate Although people sometimes use animals informally to mean only vertebrates (animals with backbones) or even just mammals, in biology the term includes insects as well. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026 Others, including Erin Maxwell, an expert on Early Jurassic marine vertebrates at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, disagree. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Erin Maxwell, an expert in Early Jurassic marine vertebrates at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany, lamented the sale as a loss to the UK. — News Desk, Artforum, 11 Aug. 2026 In humans and other vertebrates, aging hearts typically accumulate scar-like collagen deposits called fibrosis. — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vertebrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vertebrate
  1. animal
  2. creature
  3. critter
Noun
  • In the past, the animals have contracted Covid-19 and spread it to humans.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Under the law, animal abandonment without proper care, food, water, or shelter is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in prison and a $5,000 fine.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of animal
Noun
  • As temperatures drop in fall, outdoor creatures like mice are frequently drawn towards the warmth and comfort of our homes.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The Magic 9, the successor to the Magic 8 Pro, looks like a triple-eyed, moss-green robo-creature designed to blend in with an overgrown, post-apocalyptic wasteland.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of creature
Noun
  • With fall in full swing in the South, outdoor critters are inevitably trying to find their way into our homes.
    — Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2026
  • That hog tore up more fences, broke more gates, broke the backs of more female hogs and was chased by more hunters than any critter there has ever been in this country.
    — Jack Wingate as told to John Phillips, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of critter

Browse Nearby Words

vertebral columns
vertebrate
vertebrates
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vertebrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vertebrate. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on vertebrate

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about vertebrate

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

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
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All