manatee
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of manatee
1545–55; < Spanish manatí < Carib, but associated with Latin manātus provided with hands
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How does manatee compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A manatee is a peaceful, slow-moving sea creature that's often called a "sea cow." Manatees graze on ocean plants in marshy, shallow areas. You may have to travel a bit to see a manatee — you can find them in coastal areas of the Caribbean Sea, the Amazon basin, and the West Indies, as well as a few rivers in Africa. Manatees are known for their gentleness and curiosity, which sometimes puts them at risk of harm, like when they get dangerously close to ship propellers and fishing nets. Unfortunately, humans are the main cause of death for young, healthy manatees.
Vocabulary lists containing manatee
Marine Biology - Introductory
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Marine Biology - Middle School
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Marine Biology - High School
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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:
The Florida manatee demonstrates the pitfalls of the blanket-rule approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
"It is commonly assumed that Florida manatee populations were once larger than they are today," Pluckhahn said.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2024
All three manatee species are listed as vulnerable to extinction due to a variety of threats including boat collisions, hunting and habitat destruction.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2024
It’s more difficult to rehabilitate an animal like a sawfish than it is for an air-breathing marine creature, such as a dolphin or manatee, officials say.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 12, 2024
The gentle manatee, often taken for the fabled water goddess Mami Wata, was actually a highly endangered species found in only a few parts of the world, including the Volta Lake.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
In an accompanying statement, the groups argued the rule changes could immediately harm wildlife including Florida manatees, grizzly bears, salmon and steelhead fish, bird species like rufa red knots and golden-cheeked warblers, and insect pollinators.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Today the Arabian Gulf supports large numbers of dugongs, marine mammals related to manatees that feed on seagrass and leave trails in the sediment as they graze.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 12, 2025
Protecting the aquifers that sustain these springs is essential, not only for iconic wildlife like manatees, but also for supplying drinking water to nearly half of Florida's population.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2025
"This year, there were three dead manatees, five dead buffalo. We found more than 10 caimans. We found turtles, capybaras, birds, thousands of dead fish," she said last June.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2025
I’d heard of sea cows, like manatees and stuff, but this really was a cow with the back end of a serpent.
From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan
Definitions 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.
