carnivore

noun

car·​ni·​vore ˈkär-nə-ˌvȯr 

1

a

: an animal (such as a dog, fox, crocodile, or shark) that feeds primarily or exclusively on animal matter : a carnivorous animal

Among the plankton are numerous diminutive but voracious carnivores, including small jellyfishes and comb jellies, saber-toothed creatures called arrowworms or chaetognaths, and a host of crustaceans and small fishes.

—Gregory A. Wray

As big as a bull elephant, T. rex weighed 15 times as much as the largest carnivores living on land today.

—Erik Stokstad

Carnivores [=people who eat meat] will appreciate the restaurant's refined version of surf-and-turf: steak au poivre matched with sweet, large prawns.

—Matthew DeBord

b

: any of an order (Carnivora) of animals that feed primarily or exclusively on animal matter : carnivoran

Farther back in their mouths lie some special teeth known as the carnassials. These are the hallmark of the true carnivores, or canivorans—members of a great order of placental mammals, the Carnivora.

—Richard H. Tedford

2

: a carnivorous plant

the Venus flytrap and other carnivores subsisting on insects

Examples of carnivore in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The short-faced bear went extinct around 11,000 years, at the end of the Pleistocene, along with most of the large mammals that lived alongside it, including all the large carnivores listed above, as well as giant ground sloths, mammoths, mastodons, giant beavers, camels, and giant armadillos. —Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024

Sometimes, in rarer cases, a small carnivore puts themself up for the job. —Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024

Snake River Farms Give the gift of premium meats from Snake River Farms to the carnivore in your life. —Kasey Caminiti, USA TODAY, 24 Nov. 2024

The team then used several computer modeling techniques to evaluate the effects of the coyotes’ habitat type, competition with larger carnivores, hunting practices, and suburban expansion on coyote populations. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Latin carnivorus

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

carnivore

noun

car·​ni·​vore ˈkär-nə-ˌvō(ə)r 

-ˌvȯ(ə)r

1

: a flesh-eating animal

especially : any of an order of flesh-eating mammals

2

: a plant that traps and digests insects