Tyrannosaurus rex
Americannoun
Usage
What is a Tyrannosaurus rex? Tyrannosaurus rex was a giant, meat-eating dinosaur that walked on two legs and had a long tail and a big head with sharp teeth (and, yes, two little arms). The name Tyrannosaurus rex comes from the Greek words tyranno (“tyrant”) and saurus (“lizard”) and the Latin word rex (“king”). So, Tyrannosaurus rex means something like “king of the tyrant lizards.” It is commonly called T. rex for short. The name is fitting: Tyrannosaurus rex is one of the largest land predators that has ever lived. It was the largest of the tyrannosaurs, reaching a length of 47 feet (14. 3 m) or more. People often list the T. rex as their favorite dinosaur, and its popularity has grown through many pop culture depictions, such as its appearances in the Jurassic Park series of movies and books. However, to be scientifically precise about it, the T. rex lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 90–65 million years ago, around the end of the age of dinosaurs.
Etymology
Origin of Tyrannosaurus rex
First recorded in 1905–10; New Latin Tyrannosaurus, the genus name; see tyrannosaur ( def. ) + Latin rex “king”; see rex ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It lived between 100 and 120 million years ago - around 40 million years earlier than the tyrannosaurus rex - and is about twice the size of that creature.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Earlier this year, the United States returned dinosaur fossils taken out of Mongolia, including the skull of an alioramus, a smaller version of a tyrannosaurus rex that lived 70 million years ago.
From Reuters • Nov. 20, 2023
As it moved through the toppled trees and standing brush, it mimicked the sound of a tyrannosaurus rex making its way through the jungle in a “Jurassic Park” movie.
From Washington Times • Jul. 18, 2020
Dealers also noted that the herbivorous stegosaurus lacks the “wow” factor of a meat-eater like tyrannosaurus rex.
From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2016
Cue the enormous Gorog, a skyscraping combination of tyrannosaurus rex and the twisted behemoth from Cloverfield.
From The Guardian • Oct. 6, 2010
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
