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vertebrates

noun

plural of vertebrate
as in animals
biology an animal that has a backbone

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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 vertebrates Transposable elements are linked to the evolution of animal eyes as well as the adaptive immune system in jawed vertebrates. — Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026 There were no cosmonauts aboard, but there were several smaller vertebrates — including the first two tortoises to ever go to space! — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026 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 Because of their smaller body sizes than vertebrates, arthropods are often portrayed as prey of vertebrates. — Jay Kakade july 13, New Atlas, 14 July 2026 Insects and the like Most of the species cats ate were vertebrates – mostly birds, followed by mammals and reptiles. — Christopher A. Lepczyk, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vertebrates
  1. animals
  2. creatures
  3. critters
  4. quadrupeds
  5. beasties
Noun
  • Drawing on a variety of sources—from philosophical treatises to poems and popular jokes—this compact study shows how writers of the Roman era rendered animals, domestic and wild, as imperial subjects.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Horse racing makes Heidi Sheridan nervous, worrying whether the animals will get hurt.
    — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of animals
Noun
  • Tiny creatures like crabs and ants traveled huge distances, encountering all sorts of dangers—driven by the instinct to lay eggs and reproduce at any cost.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The sensational international rescue of the famously sentient creatures, replete with colossal cargo planes, huge crates and Shedd staffers working in the dead of night to transport and care for the whales, must have looked made for social media.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of creatures
Noun
  • Already, some of these critters have moved into the area while the work continues.
    — Peggy Gossett-Seidman, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
  • After looping around the moon, the critters spent a few more days in transit for the trip home.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of critters
Noun
  • Unitree is part of a broader wave of Chinese robotics manufacturers that are dominating the industry, not just in humanoid robots but also in quadrupeds, household robots, and industrial machines.
    — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But there will be fewer bodies for those brains to go into, at least in the US, after Washington this week banned new foreign humanoids and quadrupeds.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of quadrupeds
Noun
  • Greg and Denise are having some marital issues, but everybody needs to put other concerns aside to stay alive with nasty raptors and other hungry beasties around.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
  • And when that happens, astronomers will set about studying these new beasties with other eyes on the sky to learn more about them and hopefully understand them.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 24 July 2026
Definition of beasties

Browse Nearby Words

vertebrate
vertebrates
vertex
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Cite this Entry

“Vertebrates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vertebrates. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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