as in animals
biology
an animal that has a backbone
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Recent Examples of vertebrates
In all vertebrates, the thymus degenerates very rapidly with age.
—
Mallory Locklear, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
Hundreds of new vertebrates annually.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Here, Sihang Zhang and Peiyun Cong found specimens of two myllokunmingid species, representing the earliest vertebrates.
—New Atlas, 16 Feb. 2026
The findings also suggest that herbivory evolved independently in several different groups of early land vertebrates, not just in the ancestors of modern reptiles.
—Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
The fruit fly research by Freeman’s team indicates the next steps in research in vertebrates; in the same Science issue the group reported that norepinephrine changes how astrocytes respond to input from neurons.
—Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 30 Jan. 2026
Suddenly, most of the major groups of animals alive today — including vertebrates which would eventually include humans — evolved and started populating the world's oceans.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Ethanol is a potential toxin for all vertebrates, including bats and humans.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2025
Evergreen ground covers also shelter overwintering pollinators and provide year-round habit for ground-dwelling insects and vertebrates.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025
Mallory Locklear, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
Hundreds of new vertebrates annually.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Here, Sihang Zhang and Peiyun Cong found specimens of two myllokunmingid species, representing the earliest vertebrates.
—New Atlas, 16 Feb. 2026
The findings also suggest that herbivory evolved independently in several different groups of early land vertebrates, not just in the ancestors of modern reptiles.
—Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
The fruit fly research by Freeman’s team indicates the next steps in research in vertebrates; in the same Science issue the group reported that norepinephrine changes how astrocytes respond to input from neurons.
—Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 30 Jan. 2026
Suddenly, most of the major groups of animals alive today — including vertebrates which would eventually include humans — evolved and started populating the world's oceans.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Ethanol is a potential toxin for all vertebrates, including bats and humans.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2025
Evergreen ground covers also shelter overwintering pollinators and provide year-round habit for ground-dwelling insects and vertebrates.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vertebrates
Noun
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Eichner's Farm / Facebook Costing several thousand dollars each, the animals are beef cattle, known as Dexter cows.—
Ross Guidotti,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Admission gives you access to educational exhibits and adorable animals, from Beluga Whales to penguins.—
Allison Tibaldi,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Udo Kier plays an incestuous, fascist version of Baron Frankenstein, whose male and female creatures are designed to create the master Serbian race, but are also fit to be molested and mutilated for the gratification of him and his wife.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
7 Mar. 2026
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Surprisingly, science suggests DST may be good for creatures that encounter humans—and, particularly, those that might encounter our cars.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Check out our Sea Camp series and our limited run Sea Camp newsletter, featuring deep dives into research, cute critters and games!—
Berly McCoy,
NPR,
11 Mar. 2026
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Mabel befriends dam-building King George (Bobby Moynihan), runs afoul of an insect queen (Meryl Streep) and meets a ton of critters, from an emoji-loving lizard to a professional killer-for-hire shark.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Prices typically range from about $5,000 for quadrupeds to $20,000 for humanoids.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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The Skild Brain is omni-bodied, capable of operating across multiple robot morphologies, including humanoids, quadrupeds, mobile manipulators, and tabletop arms.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Abby’s Magical Beasties, where one of the beasties goes missing, and Abby must problem-solve.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
3 Nov. 2025
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In a horrific twist, Kasumi (Kana Hanazawa) wakes up way too early — and thus has to battle the ferocious beasties to survive.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vertebrates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vertebrates. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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