animals

noun

plural of animal
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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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 animals If a landscape is truly untouched by humans, then natural forces—plants, animals, wind, water, lightning—should be able to account for everything that happens there. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 Mourners gathered Sunday outside the home where the shooting unfolded, leaving candles, flowers and stuffed animals. — Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Crucially, no one had to tell a transformer that animals get tired and streets may be wide. — Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026 Since the smuggling can’t be stopped or even slowed at this point, the main goal becomes saving as many animals as possible. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 And participating in a kind of cat-like hunter game, being entertained in a way that animals do for each other, can be very simple. — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026 However, the vision to revive animals like the woolly mammoth goes far beyond creating a real-life Jurassic Park with previously extinct creatures. — Colleen McKown, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026 Everyone from the guides to the dining staff have come to know the area well over the years of preparation to open—and deeply love the animals and scenery that lodges like this one aim to protect. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for animals
  1. creatures
  2. beasts
Noun
  • Rather than relying on supernatural creatures or elaborate mythology, Fears to Fathom builds suspense around seemingly ordinary situations that take increasingly terrifying turns.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Here are five ways to make your Halloween display friendlier to the creatures that fly, slither and scurry through your yard.
    — Katie Koschalk, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of creatures
Noun
  • The stampede of hooves…the trumpeting of beasts… our friends and neighbors changing before our very eyes.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Dangerous donkeys On one side is the public safety crowd, who insist the 500-pound beasts are a menace to the free flow of commerce.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of beasts

Browse Nearby Words

animal magnetism
animals
animal spirits
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Cite this Entry

“Animals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/animals. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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