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Many herbivorous animals, such as rabbits, deer, sheep, and cows, are noted for their gentle and passive ways. But such behavior is not universal among herbivores. Rhinoceroses and elephants, for instance, are capable of inflicting serious damage if threatened, and among dinosaurs, the herbivorous Diplodocus had a thick tail that could be used as a lethal weapon against attacking carnivores. Herbivorous humans are usually called vegetarians.
Examples of herbivorous in a Sentence
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Climate change toward the end of the Triassic provided a new glut of food that herbivorous dinosaurs, such as the ancestors of Apatosaurus, began to dine on.
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Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Dec. 2024
Despite being completely herbivorous, wombats are built like predators.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Triceratops is a large, herbivorous dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period (100.5-66 million years ago).
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
The shifts in local climates most likely allowed herbivorous dinosaurs to grow bigger and more plentiful.
—Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Dec. 2024
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Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Dec. 2024
Despite being completely herbivorous, wombats are built like predators.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Triceratops is a large, herbivorous dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period (100.5-66 million years ago).
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
The shifts in local climates most likely allowed herbivorous dinosaurs to grow bigger and more plentiful.
—Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for herbivorous
Dictionary Entries Near herbivorous
Cite this Entry
“Herbivorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/herbivorous. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
herbivorous
adjective
her·biv·o·rous
ˌ(h)ər-ˈbiv-ə-rəs 
: eating or living on plants
Medical Definition
herbivorous
adjective
her·biv·o·rous
ˌ(h)ər-ˈbiv-ə-rəs
1
: feeding on plants
herbivorous mammals
2
: having a stout body and a long small intestine : endomorphic
herbivorously
adverb
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