as in predatory
living by killing and eating other animals
the place of raptorial birds in the park's ecosystem
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Recent Examples of raptorial
In essence, the shrimp stores elastic energy inside the specialized raptorial limb, and a latch holds the limb in place while the muscles continue loading tension.
—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
The front pair of legs is raptorial, meaning they are used for catching and grasping prey.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 Apr. 2026
Villegas pushed for the original measure after dangerous speeding and red-light running by raptorial tow drivers ended in a nearly catastrophic crash in his ward that saw a bus that had been hit by a tow truck plow through a storefront.
—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
Damsel bugs are slender and tan-colored and have slightly raptorial front legs.
—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 July 2023
Like its adult counterparts, the little arthropod had a spiny raptorial appendage used for grasping prey and the radiodontan’s characteristic circular mouth filled with sharp teeth.
—
Brigit Katz,
Smithsonian,
11 June 2018
Detailed testimonies of refugees along the Balkan route therefore challenge the conventional wisdom that officials tend to protect them from raptorial smugglers.
—
Max Abrahms,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Mar. 2017
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
The front pair of legs is raptorial, meaning they are used for catching and grasping prey.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 Apr. 2026
Villegas pushed for the original measure after dangerous speeding and red-light running by raptorial tow drivers ended in a nearly catastrophic crash in his ward that saw a bus that had been hit by a tow truck plow through a storefront.
—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
Damsel bugs are slender and tan-colored and have slightly raptorial front legs.
—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 July 2023
Like its adult counterparts, the little arthropod had a spiny raptorial appendage used for grasping prey and the radiodontan’s characteristic circular mouth filled with sharp teeth.
—
Brigit Katz,
Smithsonian,
11 June 2018
Detailed testimonies of refugees along the Balkan route therefore challenge the conventional wisdom that officials tend to protect them from raptorial smugglers.
—
Max Abrahms,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raptorial
predatory
Adjective
-
At the same time, its flowers attract beneficial predatory insects, such as ladybugs and parasitic wasps, that naturally hunt harmful garden pests.
-
Years of insurgency and predatory armed gangs have devastated northern Nigeria, displacing millions.
Cite this Entry
“Raptorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raptorial. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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