informal
: an animal : creature sense 1
Most of her sublime illustrations involve hippos and pigs, which are appealing critters, especially when they have a few chocolate smudges around the mouth.—
People Weekly
People WeeklyWhen the wind is blowing just so, the field is set afire on three sides, and all manner of critters get flushed out of one end—snakes, possums, raccoons, and rabbits, lots of rabbits.—Alexander Wolff
Alexander WolffFlies, gnats, mosquitoes, ticks, mites and lice pester your horse year-round. If you ignore them, these critters can cause your equine friend months of misery.—Charlene Strickland
—sometimes used of a personCharlene StricklandSale admits that humans, being the relatively big-brained critters we are, cannot do without technology …—M. Kujawa
M. KujawaExamples of critter in a Sentence
The woods are filled with skunks, raccoons, and other critters.
she's so fond of every kind of critter that she ought to be a veterinarian
Recent Examples on the Web
The Ohio River isn't frozen enough to safely walk out on, but that didn't stop one curious critter.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Feb. 2026
And there are plenty more infant critters in these Wildlife Photographer of the Year images, including a possum, a crab, kestrels and bear cubs galore.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Only a handful of other critters share the same history, and most were rescues that could not be returned to their natural habitat.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
Smaller critters — hermit crabs, lightning whelks and snails — skittered along the seafloor.
—Max Chesnes, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
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David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Feb. 2026
And there are plenty more infant critters in these Wildlife Photographer of the Year images, including a possum, a crab, kestrels and bear cubs galore.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Only a handful of other critters share the same history, and most were rescues that could not be returned to their natural habitat.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
Smaller critters — hermit crabs, lightning whelks and snails — skittered along the seafloor.
—Max Chesnes, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for critter
Cite this Entry
“Critter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critter. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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