raptor

[ rap-ter, -tawr ]

/ ˈræp tər, -tɔr /

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See synonyms for raptor on Thesaurus.com

noun

a raptorial bird.

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Origin of raptor

1600–10; <Latin raptor one who seizes by force, robber, equivalent to rap(ere) (see rape¹) + -tor-tor

Words nearby raptor

rapscallion, rap session, rap sheet, rap someone's knuckles, rapt, raptor, raptorial, rapture, raptured, rapture of the deep, rapturous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use raptor in a sentence

They might be expected to shun company, in typical raptor fashion, yet they bring a corvid’s social nature to their encounters with others.
A particular fascination with a peculiar bird|Karen Sandstrom|May 7, 2021|Washington Post
The bad news is that nearly all of the established routes are closed from March through August to allow raptors to breed in peace.
The Ultimate Arches National Park Travel Guide|Shawnté Salabert|April 22, 2021|Outside Online
Migrating raptors are all but guaranteed to be soaring over Cadillac Mountain from mid-August to mid-October.
The Ultimate Acadia National Park Travel Guide|Virginia M. Wright|February 8, 2021|Outside Online
In the off-season, I’d trained in raptor handling at The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota and had learned that hesitation with a defensive raptor doesn’t do anyone any good.
The quest to snare—and save—the world’s largest owl|Jonathan Slaght|August 28, 2020|Popular-Science

The Raptor carries six AMRAAMs and two shorter range AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles inside its weapons bays.
Pentagon Worries That Russia Can Now Outshoot U.S. Stealth Jets|Dave Majumdar|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
High flying and fast, the F-22 Raptor stealth jet is by far the most lethal fighter America has ever built.
Pentagon Worries That Russia Can Now Outshoot U.S. Stealth Jets|Dave Majumdar|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That means it could take several missile shots to kill an enemy fighter, even for an advanced stealth aircraft like the Raptor.
Pentagon Worries That Russia Can Now Outshoot U.S. Stealth Jets|Dave Majumdar|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Fish and Wildlife officer told him that it was illegal to possess a protected species or a raptor.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles|Michael Daly|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was charged with two counts of possessing a raptor and two counts of possessing a protected species.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles|Michael Daly|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The latter seemed to regard the owl as the greater enemy, but ordinarily any large raptor arouses their hostility.
Observations on the Mississippi Kite in Southwestern Kansas|Henry S. Fitch
Like its smaller relatives the Sharp-shin and Cooper's Hawks, this powerful raptor is a relentless hunter of birds.
What Bird is That?|Frank M. Chapman
The shell is polished and exceedingly fragile, a rare thing in the eggs of a raptor.
Argentine Ornithology, Volume II (of 2)|P. L. Sclater
The braincase of the skull is crushed in three places as though by a raptor's beak.
American Weasels|E. Raymond Hall
White excreta of a large bird beside the carcass indicated predation by a raptor, probably a horned owl.
Ecology of the Opossum on a Natural Area in Northeastern Kansas|Henry S. Fitch

British Dictionary definitions for raptor

raptor

/ (ˈræptə) /

noun

another name for bird of prey

informal a carnivorous bipedal dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period

Word Origin for raptor

C17: from Latin: plunderer, from rapere to take by force

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for raptor

raptor

[ răp′tər ]

A bird of prey, such as a hawk, eagle, or owl.

Any of various mostly small, slender, carnivorous dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Period. Raptors had hind legs that were adapted for leaping and large, curved claws used for grasping and tearing at prey. Raptors were probably related to birds, and some even had feathers.

raptor

Origin of raptor

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How to use raptor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for raptor

Word Origin for raptor

Scientific definitions for raptor