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
The Rice’s whale is the species closest to the brink of extinction in the Gulf, but other endangered and threatened species live there too, including sea turtles, manatees and whooping cranes.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Sperm whales, the West Indian manatee and several Gulf sea turtles are also listed as threatened or endangered.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026
The international organization Oceana, dedicated to ocean conservation, said this week in a statement that, according to reports from communities belonging to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Corridor Network, the spill killed sea turtles, a manatee and various fish species, and damaged 17 reefs.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The greatest long-term threat to manatees is loss of essential warm-water habitat that manatees require to survive cold weather.
—Elizabeth Neville, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
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Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Sperm whales, the West Indian manatee and several Gulf sea turtles are also listed as threatened or endangered.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026
The international organization Oceana, dedicated to ocean conservation, said this week in a statement that, according to reports from communities belonging to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Corridor Network, the spill killed sea turtles, a manatee and various fish species, and damaged 17 reefs.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The greatest long-term threat to manatees is loss of essential warm-water habitat that manatees require to survive cold weather.
—Elizabeth Neville, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for manatee
Cite this Entry
“Manatee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manatee. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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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