animal
/ˈænəməl/ noun A1- A multicellular organism of the kingdom Animalia that is usually mobile, with cells that are not encased in a rigid cell wall (distinguishing them from plants and fungi) and derives energy solely from the consumption of other organisms. · Near-synonym: critter· Humans, like other animals, need air to breathe and food to eat.
- Any member of the kingdom Animalia other than a human.
- A higher animal; an animal related to humans. · When he's hungry my toddler opens his mouth like an animal instead of asking us to feed him.
- A tetrapod; a land-dwelling nonhuman vertebrate.
- A warm-blooded animal; a mammal or bird.
- A non-human mammal. · I spent my summer studying the animals and birds of the two islands.
- A person who behaves wildly; a bestial, brutal, brutish, cruel, or inhuman person. · My students are animals.
- A person who overeats or eats rapidly and noisily.
Plural animals
From the library
The Monkey, who is the most imitative of animals, descended from the treetop and endeavored to do as they had done.
A LION roaming by the seashore saw a Dolphin lift up its head out of the waves, and suggested that they contract an alliance, saying that of all the animals they ought to be the best friends, since the one was the king of beasts on the earth, and the other was the sovereign ruler of all the inhabitants of the ocean.
A BEAR boasted very much of his philanthropy, saying that of all animals he was the most tender in his regard for man, for he had such respect for him that he would not even touch his dead body.
A CONTROVERSY prevailed among the beasts of the field as to which of the animals deserved the most credit for producing the greatest number of whelps at a birth.
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