theropod

American  

[theer-uh-pod] / ˈθɪər əˌpɒd /

noun

1. any member of the suborder Theropoda, comprising carnivorous dinosaurs that had short forelimbs and walked or ran on their hind legs.

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theropod British  

/ θɪˈrɒpədən, ˈθɪərəpɒd /

noun

1. any bipedal carnivorous saurischian dinosaur of the suborder Theropoda, having strong hind legs and grasping hands. They lived in Triassic to Cretaceous times and included tyrannosaurs and megalosaurs

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theropod Scientific  

/ thîr′ə-pŏd′ /

1. Any of various carnivorous saurischian dinosaurs of the group Theropoda. Theropods walked on two legs and had small forelimbs and a large skull with long jaws and sharp teeth. Most theropods were of small or medium size, but some grew very large, like Tyrannosaurus. Theropods lived throughout the Mesozoic Era.

2. Compare sauropod

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Other Word Forms

• theropodan
  noun

Etymology

Origin of theropod

< New Latin Theropoda (1881) suborder name; see -there, -o-, -poda

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

theropod

Researchers classified the dinosaur as an unenlagiid, a group of small to medium sized theropod dinosaurs known from Late Cretaceous rocks in South America, Antarctica, Australia, and Madagascar.

From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026

Therizinosaurs were a group of either herbivorous or omnivorous theropod dinosaurs that lived in Asia and North America during the Cretaceous Period, which began 145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2025

By analyzing data from T. rex remains as well as data from the theropod's closest living bird relatives, including emus and ostriches, Herculano-Houzel concluded that theropod brains had in excess of three billion neurons.

From Salon ● May 4, 2024

A three-foot-long shin bone has been found, believed to come from Acrocanthosaurus, a theropod.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 12, 2023

But no theropod fossils preserved wings, let alone feathers.

From New York Times ● Jun. 3, 2023