creature

[ kree-cher ]

/ ˈkri tʃər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR creature ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an animal, especially a nonhuman: the creatures of the woods and fields; a creature from outer space.

anything created, whether animate or inanimate.

person; human being: She is a charming creature. The driver of a bus is sometimes an irritable creature.

an animate being.

a person whose position or fortune is owed to someone or something and who continues under the control or influence of that person or thing: The cardinal was a creature of Louis XI.

Scot. and Older U.S. Use. intoxicating liquor, especially whiskey (usually preceded by the): He drinks a bit of the creature before bedtime.

Nearby words

creative imagination, creative tension, creativity, creator, creatural, creature, creature comfort, creature comforts, creature feature, creaturely, creb

Origin of creature

1250–1300; Middle English creature < Late Latin creātūra act of creating. See create, -ure

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

Examples from the Web for creature

Indeed, Dr. Shaheed has noted that Rouhani has only “limited authority” to change the system of which he is a creature.
Iran’s Horrific Human-Rights Record|Sen. Mark Kirk, Sen. Marco Rubio|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This level-headed man of logic, however, is also a creature of moods and funks.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In its earliest years, the New York Fed was literally a creature of Wall Street.
The Incredible 'Wussiness' Of The Fed Vs Goldman Sachs—Caught On Tape|Daniel Gross|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That creature threatened the goats until the biggest one butted him off the bridge, never to trouble pedestrians again.
Dems Troll Christie on Bridgegate|Olivia Nuzzi|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Every aspect of how these vampires exist as a creature had to be imagined.
Vampires without Glitter or Girl Problems: Inside Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Strain’|Andrew Romano|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was a fanciful suggestion of the eavesdropper about the creature; his attitude was almost furtive.
The Hound From The North|Ridgwell Cullum
For indeed I am not of consequence enough for my master to concern himself, and be angry about such a creature as me.
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded|Samuel Richardson
Was she merely a creature bred of the teeming earth, or had she an individuality beyond the earth?
Jess|H. Rider Haggard
And then he gave us a perfect and laughable description of what must be some creature of the monkey tribe.
Adventures in New Guinea|James Chalmers
The existence of a devil—a creature made by God, and the author of evil that will exist forever.
Handbook of Freethought|Various

British Dictionary definitions for creature

creature

/ (ˈkriːtʃə) /

noun

a living being, esp an animal

something that has been created, whether animate or inanimatea creature of the imagination

a human being; person: used as a term of scorn, pity, or endearment

a person who is dependent upon another; tool or puppet

Derived Forms

creatural or creaturely, adjectivecreatureliness, noun

Word Origin for creature

C13: from Church Latin crēatūra, from Latin crēare to create

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

creature

noun

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Origin of creature

Examples from the Web for creature

British Dictionary definitions for creature

creature

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for creature