: dead and putrefying flesh
Vultures live chiefly on carrion.
also
: flesh unfit for food
Examples of carrion in a Sentence
Vultures live chiefly on carrion.
Recent Examples on the Web
Crustaceans are nibblers of plants, scavengers of carrion, and parasites of larger animals.
—
Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2026
Skunks occasionally eat garbage and carrion.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026
Condors vanished from the state’s North Coast after the arrival of European settlers, who killed other animals with lead bullets and strychnine — poisoning the raptors that feed on carrion.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Among them is rabies, a risk that rose alongside a feral dog population that boomed on the carrion that the vultures no longer swept away.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for carrion
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Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2026
Skunks occasionally eat garbage and carrion.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026
Condors vanished from the state’s North Coast after the arrival of European settlers, who killed other animals with lead bullets and strychnine — poisoning the raptors that feed on carrion.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Among them is rabies, a risk that rose alongside a feral dog population that boomed on the carrion that the vultures no longer swept away.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for carrion
Cite this Entry
“Carrion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carrion. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
carrion
noun
car·ri·on
ˈkar-ē-ən 
: dead and decaying flesh
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