theropod

American  

[theer-uh-pod] / ˈθɪər əˌpɒd /

noun

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

---

theropod British  

/ θɪˈrɒpədən, ˈθɪərəpɒd /

noun

1. 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

---

theropod Scientific  

/ thîr′ə-pŏd′ /

1. 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.

2. Compare sauropod

---

Other Word Forms

• theropodan
  noun

Etymology

Origin of theropod

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

Example Sentences

Theropod and ornithopod tracks can look similar, and sauropod tracks, although larger, do not always show clear toe impressions.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2026

Theropod teeth are complex, and vary in size, shape, and in the anatomy of their serrated edges.

From Science Daily • Dec. 5, 2024

Theropod dinosaurs include the largest carnivorous predators which dominated the Earth during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2014

Indeed, most of the non-coelurosaur taxa are left uncoded for lots of the Theropod Working Group coelurosaur characters.

From Scientific American • Apr. 5, 2012

Theropod tracks he has studied in Texas convince Farlow that the predators moved along briskly.

From Time Magazine Archive