raptor

American  

[rap-ter, -tawr] / ˈræp tər, -tɔr /

noun

• raptors
  plural

1. a raptorial bird.

2. Informal. a velociraptor or other small dinosaur with similar characteristics.

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raptor British  

/ ˈræptə /

noun

1. another name for bird of prey

2. informal a carnivorous bipedal dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period

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raptor Scientific  

/ răp′tər /

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

2. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• raptors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of raptor

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English raptour “ravener; plunderer; bird of prey,” from Latin raptor “robber, ravager,” equivalent to rap(ere) “to seize by force, plunder” + -tor agent suffix; see rape ¹ -tor

Compare meaning

How does raptor compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• velociraptor vs. raptor

Explanation

A raptor is a bird of prey, a large, strong bird that feeds on smaller animals. Raptors are equipped with sharp talons and beaks for hunting. Raptors are hunters, and they're also big, striking birds — the bald eagle is one example of a raptor. The difference between raptors and other birds that also eat animals (like gulls, for example) is that raptors use not only their beaks, but also their curved talons to catch their prey. Before it came to be used for these birds, raptor meant "abductor," from its Latin meaning, "robber, plunderer, or abductor," from rapere, "to seize."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

raptor raptors

In July 2025, just as the young raptor first flew the nest, experts tracked him for conservation purposes as he flew towards the Middle East.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Internet-famous bald eagle Jackie’s health is improving after a scare over the weekend, the latest twist in a saga that began when the raptor was rescued near Big Bear Lake earlier this month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Found weak and disheveled along the shoreline, the raptor believed to be nest cam star Jackie is receiving care while experts investigate what caused its decline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Like other unenlagiids, Kank australis possessed the enlarged claw on its second toe that is often associated with raptor dinosaurs.

From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026

The raptor had stayed at a slow stalk, presumably so Riker could get off a good shot, but the ankys scrambled forward at an unsettling speed.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

Mitchell’s special effects team has cleverly chosen to give the raptors mangy feathers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The reserve has an osprey platform to attract the raptors and the adults who have nested there are also believed to be first-time parents.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

From the air, a dozen species of raptors scanned the ground for the doomed and the vulnerable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

"This suggests Kank may have been an active fisher, contrasting with common portrayal of raptors as agile terrestrial predators, like Velociraptor from the Northern Hemisphere."

From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026

She walked the creaking drawbridge, over the teeming, monster-filled moat, past the stone-faced falconers, under the soaring raptors, and into the woods beyond.

From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby