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 park features other captive animals, like alligators, black bears and manatees, which cannot survive in the wild, according to the state.
—Michaela Mulligan, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 June 2025
His cast includes manatees who use flatulence to control their buoyancy and cave dwelling fungus gnats that create beautiful, illuminated fly-traps from the mucus lit by their bioluminescent butts.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for manatee
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Michaela Mulligan, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 June 2025
His cast includes manatees who use flatulence to control their buoyancy and cave dwelling fungus gnats that create beautiful, illuminated fly-traps from the mucus lit by their bioluminescent butts.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for manatee
Cite this Entry
“Manatee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manatee. Accessed 25 Jun. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share