manta
noun
(in Spain and Spanish America) a cloak or wrap.
manta
1 American
[man-tuh, mahn-tah]
/ ˈmæn tə, ˈmɑn tɑ /
noun
-
mantas
plural
-
(in Spain and Spanish America) a cloak or wrap.
-
a type of blanket or cloth used on a horse or mule.
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Military. a movable shelter formerly used to protect besiegers, as when attacking a fortress.
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Also called manta ray, devilfish, 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.
Manta
2
American
[mahn-tah, -tuh]
/ ˈmɑn tɑ, -tə /
noun
manta
British
/ ˈmæntə, ˈmanta /
noun
-
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
-
a rough cotton cloth made in Spain and Spanish America
-
a piece of this used as a blanket or shawl
-
another word for mantelet
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of manta
First recorded in 1690–1700; from Spanish, from Provençal: literally, “blanket”; see mantle
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:
That day, he also saw groups of uniquely colored manta rays — some were a tan brown, and others were gray with a black stripe, called spinetail devil rays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
It looks more like a manta ray than the tube-with-wings blueprint that’s been the default for over 70 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 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
I draw a sweeping abstract something that’s a cross between an amoeba and a manta ray with eyes and mouths in unexpected places.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Family members of some Manta fishermen insist they weren’t shipping drugs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
In January, a vessel from Manta went missing after the crew alerted family members that drones and aircraft were following them, family members said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
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
The announcement comes three months after the Washington announced a temporary deployment of Air Force personnel to the former US base in the port city of Manta.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 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
Giant mantas have the largest brain of all fish species, as described by Ari in 2011; they often form large feeding aggregations, suggesting complex social interactions and are often referred to as intelligent.
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
Because manta-ray gills have become a popular cure for impotency in Chinese medicine, fishermen have now turned to hunting mantas.
From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2012
There were mantas twice your size on the Ras.”
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 26, 2010
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
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.
