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”; create, -ure
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.
Pam Mansfield runs Exotic Pet Refuge, a registered charity, in Lincolnshire, which is home to more than 500 creatures, ranging from fish to monkeys and even an alligator.
From BBC
Woodpeckers carve nesting cavities in the softer dead trees and broken-off snags, then move on each year, leaving behind homes for other nesting creatures, such as nuthatches and chipmunks.
From Los Angeles Times
And there are plenty of hybrid creatures, apocalyptic nightmares, strange juxtapositions and drooping abnormalities of the melting-watch variety.
Humans are suggestible creatures with extremely pliable memories.
From Los Angeles Times
The study shows that while humans are far from the most monogamous creatures, our tendency to pair up for life is still remarkable compared with many other species.
From BBC
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.
