lizard

noun

liz·​ard ˈli-zərd 

1

: any of a suborder (Lacertilia) of reptiles distinguished from the snakes by a fused inseparable lower jaw, a single temporal opening, two pairs of well differentiated functional limbs which may be lacking in burrowing forms, external ears, and eyes with movable lids

broadly : any relatively long-bodied reptile (such as a crocodile or dinosaur) with legs and tapering tail

2

: leather made from lizard skin

Examples of lizard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fitzgerald, the nation’s leading expert on the lizard, disagrees. —Benji Jones, Vox, 10 Feb. 2025

The lizards were seen on boulders and vines at night. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025

Spiders, cockroaches, beetles, bats, tree frogs, and lizards all have varying-sized sticky footpads that use these same forces. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 4 Feb. 2025

Amid a cold snap that brought snow to Southern states, Florida got so cold that lizards fell out of trees. —Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liserd, from Anglo-French lesarde, from Latin lacerta

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing lizard

• beaded lizard
• horned lizard
• lizard's tail
• lounge lizard
• monitor lizard
• thunder lizard

Rhymes for lizard

• blizzard
• gizzard
• izard
• wizard

Kids Definition

lizard

noun

liz·​ard ˈliz-ərd 

: any of a group of reptiles that can be told apart from the related snakes by their lower jaw which has the two halves joined and inseparable, by ears which are outside the body, by eyes with movable lids, and usually by two pairs of functional limbs