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

Illustration of manatee

Examples of manatee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During the low-water season from June to October, when aquatic life is more concentrated, spotting manatees, caimans, and anacondas are easier. —Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025

It was purported to be the first manatee to survive the inland journey to the Midwest and one of only a few in captivity. —Jeremy Drouin, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2025

All of the manatees on view at SeaWorld's Manatee Rehabilitation Area exhibit are, in fact, rescues. —Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025

Then again, another expert speculated, the bones might have belonged to an enormous manatee relative that used its backward-pointing jaw tusks to anchor itself into the ocean bottom while sleeping. —Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish manatí, probably of Carib origin; akin to Antillean Carib manattoüi manatee

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for manatee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids 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