animals

noun

plural of animal
as in creatures
one of the lower animals as distinguished from human beings we saw a lot of animals at the wildlife refuge—cranes, alligators, deer, a fox, even an armadillo

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of animals The body itself was badly decomposed after spending an unknown amount of time exposed to the elements, with animals, bugs and rain, plus 50 years in storage. — Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026 Because the existing hole was too small, crews used a saw to cut a larger opening and lowered a ladder inside to give the animals an easy way out. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026 The warning applies to visitors who interacted with the animals either at the petting zoo's location in Harmony, North Carolina, or at off-site events hosted across several counties in the state. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 Although Salmonella primarily originates in the intestinal tracts of people and animals, including insects and birds, the bacterium is commonly found in the environment. — Kimberly Baker, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026 In fact, Shapiro says that collagen exclusively comes from animals, found in the skin, bones, and connective tissue of chicken, pork, fish, and beef, as well as bone broth. — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 24 Aug. 2026 Most of the items for sale were mummified human remains, usually body parts such as hands and feet, or heads (like Peruvian shrunken heads); six were animals, specifically a cat, a falcon, an ibis, a perch, and a primate skull. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for animals
  1. creatures
  2. beasts
Noun
  • Showing off import sheets related to bats, seahorses and other creatures, Tlusty illustrated how this works.
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Contrary to their reputation, bats are not fearsome creatures but unsung ecological heroes.
    — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of creatures
Noun
  • The man wouldn’t sell for fear that the tiger might acquire a taste for his beasts and kill them all.
    — Leslie E. Tassell, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Headline writers like to use words like menageries and beasts to describe it.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of beasts

Browse Nearby Words

animal magnetism
animals
animal spirits
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Animals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/animals. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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