creature
Americannoun
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creatures
plural
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an animal, especially a nonhuman.
the creatures of the woods and fields; a creature from outer space.
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anything created, whether animate or inanimate.
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person; human being.
She is a charming creature. The driver of a bus is sometimes an irritable creature.
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an animate being.
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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.
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Scot. and Older U.S. Use. Usually the creature intoxicating liquor, especially whiskey.
He drinks a bit of the creature before bedtime.
noun
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a living being, esp an animal
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something that has been created, whether animate or inanimate
a creature of the imagination
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a human being; person: used as a term of scorn, pity, or endearment
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a person who is dependent upon another; tool or puppet
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of creature
First recorded before 1250–1300; Middle English creature, from Late Latin creātūra “act of creating”; see create, -ure
Explanation
A creature is a living thing: there are flying creatures, sea creatures, and even imaginary creatures, like unicorns. Ever heard of a "creature feature"? That's a horror movie about weird scary creatures and other monsters. But you can call pretty much any living thing a creature. You'll find all kinds of creatures at the zoo, and maybe even a few lurking in your smelly gym shoes. Bears, bugs, birds, and bunnies are all creatures. When you see the word creature, think "It's alive!"
Vocabulary lists containing creature
Beowulf vocabulary
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"Frankenstein"
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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:
More worker flexibility, including creature comforts such as heated and cooled bathrooms with running water on worksites, or regularly cleaned breakrooms, are part of the pitch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
When Henderson walked into the shed that day, a weird, white, papier-mâché creature on the shelf caught his eye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
As authorities looked for ways to guide her out of the canal, the stranded creature went viral.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Named Wyoteuthis linsterorum, the prehistoric creature belonged to an extinct group of marine animals known as belemnites, which were related to modern squid and octopuses.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
Danny searched his mind for a name for the creature.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
There’s an ironic disconnect when a town calls itself “Polar Bear Capital of the World” — it’s not like these creatures, who existed long before us, get to be in charge of anything.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Far from fitting the outdated stereotype of Neanderthals as simple, brutal creatures, Shanidar A provides rare physical evidence of a society capable of both deadly violence and sustained compassion.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
At the center of this object used for protection and to treat ailments, the child god stands atop a pair of crocodiles and grasps scorpions and snakes, guarding us against these threatening creatures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
They are cheery creatures, “good-natured rather than beautiful, broad, bright-eyed, red-cheeked, with mouths apt to laughter, and to eating and drinking.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Spying down from his high perch, Major Puff saw two creatures he’d never met before.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
