a living creature that is not a plant, usually one that can move around and senses the world
The farm had many animals, including cows, sheep, and chickens.
Please do not feed the animals at the zoo.
✦ From Latin animal ‘living being’, from anima ‘breath, soul’.
any living creature, including humans, in scientific classification
Biologists classify humans as animals because we have cells with a nucleus and can move.
Movement is one trait that separates animals from plants.
✦ Same origin as Sense 1, but used in a scientific context since the 18th century.
a person who acts in a wild, cruel, or very energetic way
On the basketball court, Tina is an animal; she never stops hustling for the ball.
Don't grab food from the pot like an animal—use a spoon.
✦ Figurative extension from the literal sense, first recorded in the 15th century to describe violent people.
