creature
Americannoun
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an animal, especially a nonhuman.
the creatures of the woods and fields; a creature from outer space.
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anything created, whether animate or inanimate.
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person; human being.
She is a charming creature. The driver of a bus is sometimes an irritable creature.
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an animate being.
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a person whose position or fortune is owed to someone or something and who continues under the control or influence of that person or thing.
The cardinal was a creature of Louis XI.
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Scot. and Older U.S. Use. Usually the creature intoxicating liquor, especially whiskey.
He drinks a bit of the creature before bedtime.
noun
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a living being, esp an animal
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something that has been created, whether animate or inanimate
a creature of the imagination
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a human being; person: used as a term of scorn, pity, or endearment
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a person who is dependent upon another; tool or puppet
Other Word Forms
- creatural adjective
- creatureliness noun
Etymology
Origin of creature
First recorded before 1250–1300; Middle English creature, from Late Latin creātūra “act of creating”; see create, -ure
Explanation
A creature is a living thing: there are flying creatures, sea creatures, and even imaginary creatures, like unicorns. Ever heard of a "creature feature"? That's a horror movie about weird scary creatures and other monsters. But you can call pretty much any living thing a creature. You'll find all kinds of creatures at the zoo, and maybe even a few lurking in your smelly gym shoes. Bears, bugs, birds, and bunnies are all creatures. When you see the word creature, think "It's alive!"
Vocabulary lists containing creature
Beowulf vocabulary
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"Frankenstein"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The black flies are not the only troublesome creature acting up during the unseasonably warm weather.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
Kernow Conservation recorded the creature during routine monitoring on the Trewithen Estate, near Truro, where staff have been working to restore native wildlife.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
Stacy, being a Manhattan lady who lunches, loves her 24-carat gold creature comforts too much to join Preston on his Montana fishing trips because he never installed an indoor toilet.
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026
The palm wood snaking through the center of Mohammad Al Faraj’s eerie installation seems like the skeletal vertebrae of some giant creature.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
‘And what kind of creature? Boar? Lynx? We should’ve asked.’
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
