easy
A lion is a carnivore that gets most of its food from other animals.
What does Carnivore mean?
A carnivore is an organism that feeds mainly or entirely on animal matter.
Dictionary definition
A carnivore is an organism that gets most or all of its food from animal matter. The word usually describes an animal's diet, but it can also name an insect-eating plant, a member of the mammal order Carnivora, or, informally, a person who eats meat. Carnivore is not the same as predator because some carnivores scavenge instead of hunting.
Example sentences
Carnivore in a sentence
medium
A vulture is a carnivore, but it often scavenges instead of hunting live prey.
hard
The Venus flytrap is a plant carnivore that traps insects for nutrients.
hard
At the barbecue, Maya jokingly called her meat-loving uncle a carnivore.
Writing practice
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Quick practice
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Practice the meaning of Carnivore
Answer three quick questions about its meaning and related words.
Question 1 of 3
Practice 1
What is a carnivore?
Carnivore describes a feeding pattern based mainly or entirely on animal matter.
Practice 2
Which statement is most accurate?
Diet makes the vulture a carnivore; hunting is not required.
Practice 3
Which sentence uses a less common meaning of carnivore correctly?
Carnivore can also name a plant that captures and digests small animals such as insects.
Practice complete
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Carnivore
Voice settings
Sounds like
kar · nuh · vor · strongest beat: kar
Tap each sound part, then blend the whole word together.
Learn
WordCarnivore.
Partnoun.
MeaningCarnivore means A carnivore is an organism that feeds mainly or entirely on animal matter.
ExampleExample: A lion is a carnivore that gets most of its food from other animals.
Word breakdown
3 syllables. Say each part, then blend the word.
- Syllables
- kar · nuh · vor
- Strongest beat
- kar
- Ending
- vor
- Tip
- Put a little extra energy on kar.
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Synonym review
Does Carnivore have synonyms?
Meat eater explains the usual animal sense but is a descriptive phrase. Predator is not a synonym because carnivores may scavenge, and some predators have varied diets.
Antonym review
Does Carnivore have an opposite?
Herbivore and omnivore are useful contrasting dietary categories, not strict opposites that cover every feeding pattern.
Word family
Carnivore word family
Base word
carnivore
noun
carnivores
The plural form of carnivore.
adjective
carnivorous
Feeding mainly or entirely on animal matter.
noun
carnivory
The practice or biological pattern of feeding on animal matter.
Related words
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Student support
Understand Carnivore
Hint for students
Look at what the organism gets nutrients from. Then ask separately whether it hunts live prey or obtains animal matter another way.
Common mix-up
Carnivore does not always mean predator or mammal. It usually describes diet; some carnivores scavenge and some plants capture animals. In taxonomy, a member of the order Carnivora is a narrower sense, and not every member eats only meat.
Try it in class or at home
Give students short diet cards for a hunter, scavenger, insect-eating plant, herbivore, and omnivore. Students label dietary roles, circle any predator, and explain why the labels answer different questions.
Teacher prompt
Compare a lion, vulture, and Venus flytrap. What evidence makes each a carnivore, and which one is a predator?
Animal Classification Wheel
Compare animals with the Classification Vocabulary Wheel
Spin this researched animal vocabulary wheel to compare body groups, backbones, diets, predator-prey roles, and the evidence behind each classification.
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