This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
theropod
[ theer-uh-pod ]
/ ˈθɪər əˌpɒd /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
any member of the suborder Theropoda, comprising carnivorous dinosaurs that had short forelimbs and walked or ran on their hind legs.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Also called bird-footed dinosaur.
Words nearby theropod
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 NewsThese 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 StudentsScansoriopterygids were a branch of theropod dinosaurs, the same group that includes giants like Tyrannosaurus rex as well as the ancestors of birds.
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, adjectiveWord 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.