lizard

noun

liz·​ard ˈli-zərd 

1

: any of a suborder (Lacertilia) of reptiles distinguished from the snakes by a fused inseparable lower jaw, a single temporal opening, two pairs of well differentiated functional limbs which may be lacking in burrowing forms, external ears, and eyes with movable lids

broadly : any relatively long-bodied reptile (such as a crocodile or dinosaur) with legs and tapering tail

2

: leather made from lizard skin

Examples of lizard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Someone tossed a shoe at a Komodo dragon in the Memphis Zoo, and the giant lizard swallowed it whole, officials say. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 16 May 2025

This article was originally published on May 15 and has updated with more information about where the dune sagebrush lizard lives. —Benji Jones, Vox, 16 May 2025

Finding More Prehistoric Lizard Fossils The team hopes to find more tegu fossils from this period to help fill in the missing pieces about the prehistoric lizard’s short visit to North America. —Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 13 May 2025

There were even marks showing where the lizard dragged its feet. —Amanda Schupak, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liserd, from Anglo-French lesarde, from Latin lacerta

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing lizard

• beaded lizard
• horned lizard
• lizard's tail
• lounge lizard
• monitor lizard
• thunder lizard

Rhymes for lizard

• blizzard
• gizzard
• izard
• wizard

Kids Definition

lizard

noun

liz·​ard ˈliz-ərd 

: any of a group of reptiles that can be told apart from the related snakes by their lower jaw which has the two halves joined and inseparable, by ears which are outside the body, by eyes with movable lids, and usually by two pairs of functional limbs