Illustration of manatee
manatee
noun
man·a·tee
ˈma-nə-ˌtē 
: any of a genus (Trichechus of the family Trichechidae) of large, herbivorous, aquatic mammals that inhabit warm coastal and inland waters of the southeastern U.S., West Indies, northern South America, and West Africa and have a rounded body, a small head with a squarish snout, paddle-shaped flippers usually with vestigial nails, and a flattened, rounded tail used for propulsion
Note: Manatees are sirenians related to and resembling the dugong but differing most notably in the shape of the tail.
An aquatic relative of the elephant, manatees grow up to nine feet long and can weigh 1,000 pounds.—
Felicity Barringer
Felicity Barringer
Examples of manatee in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Central Florida, the most popular of these is Blue Spring State Park, a wintertime haven for manatees and a summertime oasis for tourists and locals alike.
—Patrick Connolly, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2025
State and federal officials fed tons of lettuce to manatees that gathered in winter outside a power plant for two years, and the manatee numbers have rebounded somewhat, with 565 deaths recorded in 2024 compared to a record 1,100 in 2021.
—Curt Anderson, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2025
Or just pay close attention to the time-lapse footage of emerging cicadas or the cavorting manatees or the Darwin’s rhea, a South American ostrich that happens to be from one of the few species in the documentary that let males raise their kids.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2025
Here’s what both Disney and manatee lovers should know.
—Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manatee
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Patrick Connolly, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2025
State and federal officials fed tons of lettuce to manatees that gathered in winter outside a power plant for two years, and the manatee numbers have rebounded somewhat, with 565 deaths recorded in 2024 compared to a record 1,100 in 2021.
—Curt Anderson, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2025
Or just pay close attention to the time-lapse footage of emerging cicadas or the cavorting manatees or the Darwin’s rhea, a South American ostrich that happens to be from one of the few species in the documentary that let males raise their kids.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2025
Here’s what both Disney and manatee lovers should know.
—Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manatee
Cite this Entry
“Manatee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manatee. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
manatee
noun
man·a·tee
ˈman-ə-ˌtē
: any of several chiefly tropical water-dwelling mammals that eat plants and differ from the related dugong especially in having the tail broad and rounded
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