dinosaurs

Cultural  

1. Reptiles, now extinct, that were the dominant life form on Earth for many millions of years. The name dinosaur comes from the Greek words for “monstrous lizard.” Dinosaurs became extinct suddenly, about sixty-five million years ago. Scientists now believe that their extinction was caused by the impact of a large asteroid on the Earth.

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Some dinosaurs were very large and had small brains — factors that may in part have led to their extinction. The term is often used to refer to something or someone that is antiquated and unable to adapt to change: “The old cavalry generals couldn't adjust to the use of tanks — they became dinosaurs.”

Some scientists believe that modern birds are the descendants of dinosaurs.

Commonly known dinosaurs include Tyrannosaurus rex, Brontosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops.

Example Sentences

There were frogs - and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs - in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston.

From BBC

The rocks examined there date back to the Upper Cretaceous and capture the final few million years before dinosaurs disappeared.

From Science Daily

When Arco steals his older sister’s magical rainbow cloak to return in time to see dinosaurs, he messes up and instead lands back in 2075.

From Los Angeles Times

These discoveries cover an astonishing sweep of life on Earth, including dinosaurs, mammals, fishes, reptiles, insects, arachnids, marine invertebrates, and even a mineral never documented before.

From Science Daily

This stands in contrast to famous sites like the Chicxulub crater near Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, which is directly linked to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

From Science Daily