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
Derived Forms
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.
How much better loved would it have been had Wenlock been a warlock, a creature spun from the Merlin of Arthurian legend.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
Webbed claws clutch at a rock, and slowly, awkwardly, the creature lifts her rounded, barrel-like body out of the river.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
A largely sedentary and inflexible creature, dependent on eucalyptus leaves for much of their water, koalas quickly develop dehydration when hotter conditions persist.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
The finals day of the World Surf League's New Zealand Pro event was paused after a photographer was attacked in the water by a sea creature that organisers believe was a shark or sea lion.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
“The humans take one look at any living creature and think only of how they can use it.”
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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.
