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

The USC and UC Irvine coaching legend guided Orloff for two years as an Anteater, watching Orloff become the baseball program’s all-time hits leader with his peak bat-to-ball abilities.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2025

UW guard Trinity Oliver, who knotted the score, missed an ensuing free throw while Anteater forward Heather Hernandez clanked a point-blank layup with a second left.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 17, 2022

He then often signals down the bench for someone to sub in for the offending Anteater.

From New York Times • Mar. 10, 2022

“Thirty years ago in San Antonio, I purchased the ‘last’ pair of Lucchese Anteater boots for $900.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2018

The Anteater develops her eggs in a pouch.

From The Story of Evolution by McCabe, Joseph