tyrannosaur

American  

[ti-ran-uh-sawr, tahy-] / tɪˈræn əˌsɔr, taɪ- /

noun

1. a large, carnivorous dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex, from the Late Cretaceous Epoch of North America, that walked erect on its hind feet.

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tyrannosaur Scientific  

/ tĭ-răn′ə-sôr′ /

1. Any of various very large carnivorous dinosaurs of the genus Tyrannosaurus and related genera of the Cretaceous Period. Tyrannosaurs had very small forelimbs and a large head with sharp teeth. They walked on two legs, probably bent forward with their long tail stretched out as a counterbalance. Tyrannosaurs were theropods and probably distantly related to birds. The largest species, T. rex, grew to lengths of 14.3 m (47 ft) or more and may have been the largest land predator that ever lived.

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Etymology

Origin of tyrannosaur

< New Latin Tyrannosaurus (1905), equivalent to Greek tyranno- (combining form representing týrannos tyrant ) + saûros -saur

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tyrannosaur

By examining 17 tyrannosaur specimens ranging from young juveniles to enormous adults, researchers determined that the famous predator likely continued growing for around 40 years before reaching its maximum weight of roughly eight tons.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 5, 2026

Instead of T. rex ruling alone before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, the region appears to have hosted multiple tyrannosaur species at the same time.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 9, 2025

Mr Voris explained: "That movement back and forth between the continents basically pushed the evolution of different tyrannosaur groups" over millions of years.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2025

In 1866, the first tyrannosaur, Dryptosaurus, was found less than two miles from the Edelman.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2025

And I thought, Cry Iced!—that's sure going to be one tyrannosaur of a prologue.

From No Great Magic by Leiber, Fritz