carnivore

[ kahr-nuh-vawr ]

noun

1. any mammal of the order Carnivora that eats meat, fish, or other flesh, especially as its primary source of food: a category of mammals that includes dogs, cats, bears, seals, and weasels. Compare carnivoran ( def 1 ).
2. any animal that eats meat, fish, etc., especially as its primary source of food; meat-eater:

   alligators, snakes, and other reptilian carnivores.

3. any plant that traps and feeds on insects and/or arachnids, such as a Venus flytrap.

carnivore

/ ˈkɑːnɪˌvɔː /

noun

1. any placental mammal of the order Carnivora, typically having large pointed canine teeth and sharp molars and premolars, specialized for eating flesh. The order includes cats, dogs, bears, raccoons, hyenas, civets, and weasels
2. any other animal or any plant that feeds on animals
3. informal.
   an aggressively ambitious person

carnivore

/ kär′nə-vôr′ /

1. 1. An animal that feeds chiefly on the flesh of other animals. Carnivores include predators such as lions and alligators, and scavengers such as hyenas and vultures. In a food chain, carnivores are either secondary or tertiary consumers.
   2. Any of various generally meat-eating mammals of the order Carnivora. Carnivores have large, sharp canine teeth and large brains, and the musculoskeletal structure of their forelimbs permits great flexibility for springing at prey. Many carnivores remain in and defend a single territory. Dogs, cats, bears, weasels, raccoons, hyenas, and (according to some classifications) seals and walruses are all carnivores.
2. A plant that eats insects, such as a Venus flytrap.

carnivore

1. A living thing that eats meat. Among mammals , there is an order of carnivores, including primarily meat-eating animals such as tigers and dogs. Some plants, such as the Venus's-flytrap, are carnivores.

Other Words From

• car·niv·o·ral [kahr-, niv, -er-, uh, l], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of carnivore¹

First recorded in 1850–55; from French, from Latin carnivorus carnivorous

Word History and Origins

Origin of carnivore¹

C19: probably back formation from carnivorous

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, the Upper Midwest population—which had been one of the last places the carnivores resisted eradication—rebounded.

From Popular-Science

Carrillo says the waning of sparassodonts may have left an opening for northern carnivores.

From Science News

Already, fast food chains are offering plant-based burgers that routinely wow the most inveterate carnivores, including newspaper food writers.

From Fortune

Quickly eating a lot of food can be useful for carnivores when food is scarce.

From Science News For Students

Eating large quantities of food quickly can be a useful strategy for carnivores when food is scarce.

From Science News

And where better to find that weapon than sharing the wild woods with our largest carnivore?

From The Daily Beast

In Area D the child's right foot bones were discovered with "carnivore damage."

From The Daily Beast

I love the animal charities for such a high-profile carnivore.

From The Daily Beast

It is more subtle in its operation but of the same order of ruthlessness as the ravages of a carnivore.

From Project Gutenberg

A mutter became a growl, teeth gleamed—those cruel teeth of a carnivore to whom they were weapons of aggression.

From Project Gutenberg

Each carnivore has its own worms, as it has its own prey which introduces them.

From Project Gutenberg

The pirate-wasp was a carnivore, but this was the season when the wasps raised young.

From Project Gutenberg

His early life, the life of a predatory carnivore, had been an unthinkingly happy one.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• meat-eater