carnivore

noun

Definition of carnivorenext
as in omnivore
an animal that eats meat; a meat eater
—sometimes used humorously to refer to people who eat meat Many of my friends are vegetarians, but I'm a carnivore.

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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 carnivore Chef Angie Mar made the Beatrice Inn a meat Mecca for downtown NYC carnivores. — Tony Sachs, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026 The rare baby boy was born Sunday after seven hours of labor and is doing well, said Matthey Lenyo, the zoo’s curator of primates and carnivores. — Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 30 May 2026 Birds also have a beak and no teeth, and that doesn’t stop an eagle from being a carnivore. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 26 May 2026 Nagatitan would have lived with smaller plant-eating dinosaurs, including iguanodontians, some cousins of the Triceratops called ceratopsians, as well as large carnivores, and flying pterosaurs. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for carnivore
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnivore
  1. omnivore
  2. animal
  3. insectivore
  4. creature
  5. critter
  6. beastie
Noun
  • The speckled omnivores can weigh upwards of 10 pounds, largely thanks to a diet that regularly includes eggs, small animals, fruits, and vegetables.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 June 2026
  • North American river otters are omnivores, feeding on fish, turtles, crabs, mollusks, birds, oysters, shellfish, crayfish, frogs, rodents and insects.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
Definition of omnivore
Noun
  • Whale calls can travel as far as 100 kilometers underwater, which means the animals can be located by comparing when those calls reach receivers embedded along the ocean floor.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The animal was brought to safety as crews continued efforts to extinguish the fire and secure the scene.
    — Denis Akbari, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of animal
Noun
  • Belonging to the same group of mammals as sloths and anteaters, armadillos are voracious insectivores that eat large numbers of beetles, grubs, ants, termites, and other insects, grabbing them with their sticky tongues.
    — Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 19 May 2026
  • Many of the bird species migrating through the Midwest are insectivores, living in the neotropics in winter to have food for survival.
    — Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Definition of insectivore
Noun
  • Niemiller and his team have named the new species Demogorgonichthys arcanus, a wink to the otherworldly creature that emerged in a secret federal lab in the Netflix series Stranger Things.
    — Elizabeth Anne Brown, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026
  • And then in Book 2, that attraction that the creatures have to him in the magical world of Gilmouria becomes stronger.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of creature
Noun
  • These critters may look cute and cuddly, but their sharp claws are anything but.
    — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Thanks to all these survey techniques, Arizona scientists are making inroads in illuminating the secret lives of these nocturnal critters.
    — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of critter
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 beastie

Browse Nearby Words

carnivals
carnivore
carnivores
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Cite this Entry

“Carnivore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnivore. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on carnivore

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about carnivore

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