critter
Americannoun
-
critters
plural
-
a domesticated animal.
-
any creature.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of critter
Variant of creature
Explanation
A critter is an animal. If you hear scratching noises in your ceiling at night, you can be sure that some kind of critter is living in your attic. Critter is an informal word for any living creature, from a wolf to a spider. You might like going to watch various critters at the zoo, or live on a small farm where you can keep critters of your own, like goats and chickens. Critter first appeared in the early 19th century, a shortened slang or joking form of the word creature.
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.
See Examples For:
Officer Britney Myers spotted the scruffy critter and climbed down a manhole after her, as seen in video from the agency.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The two-year-old furry critter, described by keepers as extremely shy, was being kept in the hospital for diagnostic testing, it said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
As Popcorn gained popularity online, Chris and Lily wrote a book together about the impact that the little critter had on their family, which was then published in May 2024.
From BBC ● May 24, 2025
As a set, the worm's eyes weigh about twenty times as much as the rest of the animal's head and seem grotesquely out of place on this tiny and transparent marine critter.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 8, 2024
No doubt some critter snacking on a late supper.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
How the critters, which move in larger swarms than Singapore’s other cicada species, got to the island is unknown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
There aren’t many of those critters in the Golden State and, when they’re found, officials seek to eradicate them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
In short: The Minions are an immortal yet childlike tribe of yellow critters continually seeking to serve an evil master.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Of course, the critters escape and run amok; the show’s faster, sometimes drone-shot xenomorph chases required longer corridors than hide-and-seek-oriented “Alien’s,” some 160-feet-plus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
But they agreed it would be better for her to tend the cow and horse and protect the house from the wild critters.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
