theropod

[ theer-uh-pod ]

/ ˈθɪər əˌpɒd /

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noun

any member of the suborder Theropoda, comprising carnivorous dinosaurs that had short forelimbs and walked or ran on their hind legs.

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Also called bird-footed dinosaur.

Origin of theropod

<New Latin Theropoda (1881) suborder name; see -there, -o-, -poda

Words nearby theropod

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, theroid, Theron, the ropes, therophyte, theropod, Theroux, Thersites, thersitical, the rub, “The Rubáiyát”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use theropod in a sentence

It belonged to a distantly related group of less-well-known predatory theropods.
This big dino had tiny arms before T. rex made them cool|Carolyn Gramling|August 4, 2022|Science News For Students
“Everyone has been in agreement that Spinosaurus was more aquatic than other big theropods” like Tyrannosaurus rex, Holtz says.
Spinosaurus’ dense bones fuel debate over whether some dinosaurs could swim|Carolyn Gramling|March 23, 2022|Science News
These theropods — or two-footed, meat-eating dinosaurs — had bladelike teeth.
The secret to T. rex‘s incredible biting force is at last revealed|Sid Perkins|June 1, 2021|Science News For Students
Scansoriopterygids were a branch of theropod dinosaurs, the same group that includes giants like Tyrannosaurus rex as well as the ancestors of birds.
Bat-winged dinosaurs were clumsy fliers|Carolyn Gramling|October 22, 2020|Science News

British Dictionary definitions for theropod

theropod

/ (ˈθɪərəpɒd) /

noun

any bipedal carnivorous saurischian dinosaur of the suborder Theropoda, having strong hind legs and grasping hands. They lived in Triassic to Cretaceous times and included tyrannosaurs and megalosaurs

Derived forms of theropod

theropodan (θɪˈrɒpədən), noun, adjective

Word Origin for theropod

C19: from New Latin theropoda, from Greek thēr beast + pous foot

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 theropod

theropod

[ thîr′ə-pŏd′ ]

Any of various carnivorous saurischian dinosaurs of the group Theropoda. Theropods walked on two legs and had small forelimbs and a large skull with long jaws and sharp teeth. Most theropods were of small or medium size, but some grew very large, like Tyrannosaurus. Theropods lived throughout the Mesozoic Era. Compare sauropod.