carnivore

[kahr-nuh-vawr, -vohr]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR carnivore ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an animal that eats flesh.

a flesh-eating mammal of the order Carnivora, comprising the dogs, cats, bears, seals, and weasels.

an insectivorous plant.

Origin of carnivore

1850–55; < Latin carnivorus carnivorous

Related formscar·niv·o·ral

[kahr-niv-er-uh l] /kɑrˈnɪv ər əl/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for carnivore

cougar, leopard, cub, lynx, carnivore, feline, cat, jaguar

Examples from the Web for carnivore

Contemporary Examples of carnivore

In Area D the child's right foot bones were discovered with "carnivore damage."
Did They Get Her?
Diane Dimond
June 15, 2011

Historical Examples of carnivore

The pirate-wasp was a carnivore, but this was the season when the wasps raised young.
The Forgotten Planet
Murray Leinster
The humerus resembles that of a Carnivore rather than that of an Ungulate.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard
Nimravus gomphodus was a Carnivore about the size of a Panther.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard
But I learned that though I am a carnivore yet I have not the pluck to be a vulture.
The Sea and the Jungle
H. M. Tomlinson
The only other carnivore as abundant as the sabretooth was a giant wolf.
A Book-Lover's Holidays in the Open
Theodore Roosevelt

British Dictionary definitions for carnivore

carnivore

noun

any placental mammal of the order Carnivora, typically having large pointed canine teeth and sharp molars and premolars, specialized for eating flesh. The order includes cats, dogs, bears, raccoons, hyenas, civets, and weasels

any other animal or any plant that feeds on animals

informal an aggressively ambitious person

Word Origin for carnivore

C19: probably back formation from carnivorous

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for carnivore

"flesh-eating animal," 1839, from French carnivore (16c.), from Latin carnivorus "flesh-eating" (see carnivorous).

carnivore in Science

carnivore

[kär′nə-vôr′]

An animal that feeds chiefly on the flesh of other animals. Carnivores include predators such as lions and alligators, and scavengers such as hyenas and vultures. In a food chain, carnivores are either secondary or tertiary consumers. Compare detritivore herbivore.
Any of various generally meat-eating mammals of the order Carnivora. Carnivores have large, sharp canine teeth and large brains, and the musculoskeletal structure of their forelimbs permits great flexibility for springing at prey. Many carnivores remain in and defend a single territory. Dogs, cats, bears, weasels, raccoons, hyenas, and (according to some classifications) seals and walruses are all carnivores.

A plant that eats insects, such as a Venus flytrap.

carnivore in Culture

carnivore

[(kahr-nuh-vawr)]

A living thing that eats meat. Among mammals, there is an order of carnivores, including primarily meat-eating animals such as tigers and dogs. Some plants, such as the Venus's-flytrap, are carnivores.