creature
Americannoun
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creatures
plural
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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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"How Do We Use Water?"
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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.
See Examples For:
A team of veterinarians rushed to assist the visibly feeble creature, giving him water before carrying him away on a stretcher.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
The dam, he said, “was the creature of the city of Los Angeles.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
A new study published in Nature traces the origins of this powerful hunting tool to Urokodia, a small marine creature that lived during the early Cambrian Period.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
The biggest engines are often installed in pairs or quads, bestowing “Miami Vice”-style speed on large vessels packed with creature comforts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Then, in the midst of so many animals, an even stranger creature appeared: a human survivor.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Notably, neither scavengers nor flies that fed on the supposedly poisoned carcasses have perished -- creatures that typically succumb after consuming poisoned animals.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
The author of “Bitter Honey” on the big lives and surprising stories of tiny creatures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Larry Aguilar, 27, a detainee at the Adelanto facility, said in a phone interview that he was the one to tell Parias about the creatures in the water coolers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Mr. Kneale could have added to his list of creatures with which Floridians are willing to coexist: sharks, raccoons, armadillos, possums, rattlesnakes and bugs of every variety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Occasionally, far below the waves, below the shadow of the boat, Christopher saw creatures moving; things too swift and fleeting to identify.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
