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• manta
  manta

  noun

  (in Spain and Spanish America) a cloak or wrap.
• Manta
  Manta

  noun

  a seaport in W Ecuador, on Manta Bay.

manta

¹ American  

[man-tuh, mahn-tah] / ˈmæn tə, ˈmɑn tɑ /

noun

• mantas
  plural

1. (in Spain and Spanish America) a cloak or wrap.

2. a type of blanket or cloth used on a horse or mule.

3. Military. a movable shelter formerly used to protect besiegers, as when attacking a fortress.

4. Also called manta ray.  Also called devilfish.  Also called devil ray.  Ichthyology. any of several tropical rays of the small family Mobulidae, especially of the genus Manta, measuring from 2 to 24 feet (0.6 to 7.3 meters) across, including the pectoral fins.

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Manta ² American  

[mahn-tah, -tuh] / ˈmɑn tɑ, -tə /

noun

1. a seaport in W Ecuador, on Manta Bay.

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manta British  

/ ˈmæntə, ˈmanta /

noun

1. Also called: manta ray.   devilfish.   devil ray.  any large ray (fish) of the family Mobulidae, having very wide winglike pectoral fins and feeding on plankton

2. a rough cotton cloth made in Spain and Spanish America

3. a piece of this used as a blanket or shawl

4. another word for mantelet

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mantas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of manta

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Spanish, from Provençal: literally, “blanket”; see mantle

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

manta Manta mantas

It looks more like a manta ray than the tube-with-wings blueprint that has been the default for over 70 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The Gulf of Mexico is home to at least 19 other threatened and endangered species including various types of turtles, the giant manta ray and mountainous star coral.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026

Friday's decisions move whale sharks, manta rays and devil rays onto Appendix I after countries on Thursday did the same for the critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark.

From Barron's ● Nov. 28, 2025

Perhaps the manta ray-looking underwater vessel was being tested in their backyard?

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025

Not a stingray, not a manta ray, but an electric ray.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

He is not the only survivor suffering trauma related to the very ocean that has long defined life in Manta and environs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

On March 19, hundreds gathered outside the harbor master’s office in Manta, the port city where the Negra Francisca was based, demanding information and an all-hands search for the 16 missing fishermen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

Air Force personnel to the Ecuadorean military base at Manta in December for a short-term mission to support antidrug operations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026

In December, the United States announced a temporary deployment of Air Force personnel to the former US base in the port city of Manta.

From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026

Farther south is the broad Bay of Manta, with a small port of the same name at its southern extremity.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10 "Echinoderma" to "Edward" by Various

This may have been because reef mantas have smaller dermal denticles and so there was less friction to keep the cups in place.

From National Geographic ● Oct. 23, 2023

I have been fortunate enough to dive with mantas in the Philippines and Maldives.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 27, 2018

Coral and colorful, small fish are almost always around, but mantas, hammerhead sharks and turtles are in shorter supply.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2016

The protections require certificates proving that the mantas have been caught and imported legally.

From New York Times ● Jan. 6, 2016

The women who were already in mourning for my uncle Lucas took this opportunity to place their mantas over their faces and to scurry to their homes before the hellish storm raised its head again.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

Related Words

• cloth
• scarf
• stole