critter

noun

crit·​ter ˈkri-tər 

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

When 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

Flies, 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 person

Sale admits that humans, being the relatively big-brained critters we are, cannot do without technology …

—M. Kujawa

Synonyms

• animal
• beast
• beastie
• brute
• creature

Examples 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

That's according to a new analysis, described in the journal Science Advances, that looked at DNA from one of these secretive critters. —Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 2 Jan. 2025

And no, it's not designed for dropping boars or any other critters. —Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 31 Dec. 2024

In doing so, these invasive critters also pose a threat to the crabbing and fishing industries, which many coastal communities rely on for income. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2024

Photos of the spooky sea squirts were circulating online among diving enthusiasts in Japan before Naohiro Hasegawa, a biologist at the University of Hokkaido, saw a tweet with the critters. —Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

by alteration

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

critter

noun

crit·​ter ˈkrit-ər 

informal

: creature