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View synonyms for raptor

raptor

[ rap-ter, -tawr ]

noun

  1. a raptorial bird.
  2. Informal. a velociraptor or other small dinosaur with similar characteristics.


raptor

/ ˈræptə /

noun

  1. another name for bird of prey
  2. informal.
    a carnivorous bipedal dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


raptor

/ răptər /

  1. A bird of prey, such as a hawk, eagle, or owl.
  2. Any of various mostly small, slender, carnivorous dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Period. Raptors had hind legs that were adapted for leaping and large, curved claws used for grasping and tearing at prey. Raptors were probably related to birds, and some even had feathers.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of raptor1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English raptour “ravener; plunderer; bird of prey,” from Latin raptor “robber, ravager,” equivalent to rap(ere) “to seize by force, plunder” + -tor agent suffix; rape 1 -tor
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Word History and Origins

Origin of raptor1

C17: from Latin: plunderer, from rapere to take by force
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Compare Meanings

How does raptor compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

After high school, they drove a Chevy out west on dirt roads, catching raptors en route, and published an article about the experience in National Geographic.

They might be expected to shun company, in typical raptor fashion, yet they bring a corvid’s social nature to their encounters with others.

The bad news is that nearly all of the established routes are closed from March through August to allow raptors to breed in peace.

Migrating raptors are all but guaranteed to be soaring over Cadillac Mountain from mid-August to mid-October.

In the off-season, I’d trained in raptor handling at The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota and had learned that hesitation with a defensive raptor doesn’t do anyone any good.

The Raptor carries six AMRAAMs and two shorter range AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles inside its weapons bays.

High flying and fast, the F-22 Raptor stealth jet is by far the most lethal fighter America has ever built.

That means it could take several missile shots to kill an enemy fighter, even for an advanced stealth aircraft like the Raptor.

The Fish and Wildlife officer told him that it was illegal to possess a protected species or a raptor.

He was charged with two counts of possessing a raptor and two counts of possessing a protected species.

The latter seemed to regard the owl as the greater enemy, but ordinarily any large raptor arouses their hostility.

Like its smaller relatives the Sharp-shin and Cooper's Hawks, this powerful raptor is a relentless hunter of birds.

The shell is polished and exceedingly fragile, a rare thing in the eggs of a raptor.

The braincase of the skull is crushed in three places as though by a raptor's beak.

White excreta of a large bird beside the carcass indicated predation by a raptor, probably a horned owl.

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