noun
carnivore
KAH-nih-vaw
noun
1
An animal whose diet consists mainly or entirely of meat.
"Lions are classic carnivores, built to hunt and eat other animals."
"Some dinosaurs were enormous carnivores."
2
Informally, a person who eats meat, especially as opposed to a vegetarian.
"He jokingly called himself an unapologetic carnivore at every barbecue."
How to Use Carnivore
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA meat-eater — used for animals biologically adapted to eat flesh, and casually for people who eat meat.
Easily confused with
herbivore
omnivore
Common pairings
carnivore diet
apex carnivore
strict carnivore
Word Forms
carnivores plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “carnivore”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
Lions are classic _____, built to hunt and eat other animals.
Etymology
From Latin carnivorus, "flesh-eating," from caro ("flesh") + vorare ("to devour") — the same "-vore" ending seen in "herbivore" and "omnivore."