anteater

American  

[ant-ee-ter] / ˈæntˌi tər /

noun

• anteaters
  plural

1. any of several mammals of the family Myrmecophagidae, having a long, tapered snout, extensile tongue, and powerful front claws and feeding chiefly on ants and termites.

2. the aardvark.

3. a pangolin.

4. an echidna.

5. banded anteater.

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anteater British  

/ ˈæntˌiːtə /

noun

1. any toothless edentate mammal of the family Myrmecophagidae of Central and South America, esp Myrmecophaga tridactyla (or jubata ) ( giant anteater ), having a long tubular snout used for eating termites See also tamandua

2. another name for pangolin

3. another name for echidna

4. another name for numbat

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• anteaters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anteater

First recorded in 1755–65; ant + eat ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anteater anteaters

It has the nose of anteater, parts cannibalised from other planes and a cockpit so far back the pilot depends on a camera to see where he's going.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Nawee Changpirom has spent years working to rescue trafficked wildlife in Thailand, but even he can sometimes hardly believe the creatures he has found: leopards, hornbills, and once an anteater.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

A tamandua, or collared anteater, with prizefighter arms and curved claws that break open termite mounds, tried to ignore a car full of onlookers.

From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2024

Despite often being compared to pigs and South American anteater, aardvarks are not related to them.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 18, 2023

Actually, he looked like some deranged anteater, but I didn’t figure that would be the thing to tell him.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick

"The new arrival is already able to walk around on its own but, like all baby anteaters, prefers the safety of mum for now."

From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026

Meanwhile, though giant anteaters have successfully been released back into the wild, giant armadillos are extremely threatened.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2024

Bushy-tailed giant anteaters galloped in the dewy grass.

From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2024

Threatened pangolins, known as armored anteaters, scramble along branches.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2023

She had seen the gaping holes anteaters carved into the sides of termite mounds, although she hadn’t seen the creatures themselves.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer