critter

noun

crit·​ter ˈkri-tər How to pronounce critter (audio)
informal
: an animal : creature sense 1
Most of her sublime illustrations involve hippos and pigs, which are appealing critters, especially when they have a few chocolate smudges around the mouth.People Weekly
When the wind is blowing just so, the field is set afire on three sides, and all manner of critters get flushed out of one end—snakes, possums, raccoons, and rabbits, lots of rabbits.Alexander Wolff
Flies, gnats, mosquitoes, ticks, mites and lice pester your horse year-round. If you ignore them, these critters can cause your equine friend months of misery.Charlene Strickland
sometimes used of a person
Sale admits that humans, being the relatively big-brained critters we are, cannot do without technology …M. Kujawa

Examples of critter in a Sentence

The woods are filled with skunks, raccoons, and other critters. she's so fond of every kind of critter that she ought to be a veterinarian
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Tantalizing clips—woolly mammoths kicking up clouds of snow, Pixar-esque animations of adorable fluffy critters—promised a stunning future, one in which anyone can whip up high-quality clips by typing simple text prompts into a computer program. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Dec. 2024 More critters may simply not be able to cope, or ecosystems that lose species after species may collapse altogether. Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 7 Dec. 2024 The dialog-free drama follows a big-eyed cat caught in an apocalyptic flood who teams up with a geographically diverse pack of critters to escape. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Dec. 2024 The leaves provide a layer of insulation, protection so predators don’t find the insects, and create habitat for some cool critters like Luna moths. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for critter 

Word History

Etymology

by alteration

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of critter was in 1815

Dictionary Entries Near critter

Cite this Entry

“Critter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critter. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

critter

noun
crit·​ter ˈkrit-ər How to pronounce critter (audio)
informal
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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