anteater
Americannoun
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anteaters
plural
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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.
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the aardvark.
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a pangolin.
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an echidna.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of anteater
First recorded in 1755–65; ant + eat ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
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
She was called an "amiable anteater" with an "unbelievable nose", who resembled "a myopic gazelle".
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2023
She showed them a picture of an anteater.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
"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
The creature is related to current armadillos, anteaters and sloths, though in contrast to some of its relatives, Mylodon did not burrow or climb trees.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2024
Bushy-tailed giant anteaters galloped in the dewy grass.
From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
In mammals, egg laying is limited to echidnas, sometimes known as spiny anteaters, and the platypus.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2023
The first set of puzzles about anteaters and elephants had to be easier than the set of puzzles about beavers and worms, which in turn had to be easier than the final set about fish.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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