animal shelter

American  

[an-uh-muhl shel-ter] / ˈæn ə məl ˌʃɛl tər /

noun

• animal shelters
  plural

1. an establishment, maintained by local government or supported by charitable contributions, that provides a temporary home for dogs, cats, and other animals that are offered for adoption, and puts to sleep homeless animals that have been deemed unsuitable for adoption.

   The animal shelter is requesting donations of old towels, blankets, and other linens.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• animal shelters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of animal shelter

First recorded in 1890–95

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

animal shelter

Another cat, Purdy, was adopted from the local animal shelter to join Kaplanis’s other cat, Sheba, at the store.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

A clergyman I met at Reagan National Airport recently told me that our world is as filled with corruption as a Latin American animal shelter is filled with fleas.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

But working at an animal shelter offered some comfort and helped me better understand our feline friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

What if she decided that she would like to leave this house to an animal shelter or if she needed to sell it to pay for long-term care?

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

Finding the exact information I want about the animal shelter is impossible.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

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