manatee
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of manatee
1545–55; < Spanish manatí < Carib, but associated with Latin manātus provided with hands
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Explanation
A manatee is a peaceful, slow-moving sea creature that's often called a "sea cow." Manatees graze on ocean plants in marshy, shallow areas. You may have to travel a bit to see a manatee — you can find them in coastal areas of the Caribbean Sea, the Amazon basin, and the West Indies, as well as a few rivers in Africa. Manatees are known for their gentleness and curiosity, which sometimes puts them at risk of harm, like when they get dangerously close to ship propellers and fishing nets. Unfortunately, humans are the main cause of death for young, healthy manatees.
Vocabulary lists containing manatee
Marine Biology - Introductory
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Marine Biology - Middle School
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Marine Biology - High School
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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.
It was shipped in tankers to the nearby Port of Manatee and then trucked to facilities like the one behind him, for safekeeping.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
Officers from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office made the discovery after Richard James, originally from Wales, became concerned.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
Their purchase, Bradenton, Fla.-based Community Bank of Manatee, went public as C1 Financial in 2014, making Burgess one of the first openly gay CEOs of a publicly traded company.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025
“But you can see the amount of water here on the ground. This is water from the Manatee River.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2024
The coaches’ conference broke up, and the Manatee guy waved his players off the field.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
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.
