manatee
noun
man·a·tee
| \ ˈma-nə-ˌtē
\
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Definition of manatee
: 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 BarringerIllustration of manatee
Examples of manatee in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Conservationists and some politicians decried the changes as a major rollback of the 46-year old law credited with saving the bald eagle, grizzly bear, humpback whale, American alligator and Florida manatee from extinction. — oregonlive.com, "New Trump rules weaken Endangered Species Act," 12 Aug. 2019 Designers of the dome used wacky things from throughout Central Florida to connect with visitors — including mermaids and manatees. — Stephen Hudak, orlandosentinel.com, "Mermaids, manatees, gators headline History Center auction but Orange Bird may steal the show," 9 Aug. 2019 But download the corresponding smartphone app, point the camera at the wall, and see plastic six-pack rings float near the manatee or watch the looming Burmese python give way to a video of the invasive species slithering in swampland. — Erin Berger, Outside Online, "This Beautiful Art Makes Climate Change Feel Visceral," 24 July 2019 The deaths of some fish, sea turtles and even manatees have also been attributed to last year’s red tide, according to the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. — Talal Ansari, WSJ, "Florida’s Red Tide Killed At Least 174 Dolphins," 27 June 2019 The red tide has made breathing difficult for locals, scared away tourists, and strewn popular beaches with the stinking carcasses of fish, eels, porpoises, turtles, manatees and one 26-foot whale shark. — Kate Furby, The Seattle Times, "Red tide algae’s deadly toll on sea life has triggered a state of emergency in Florida," 14 Aug. 2018 Death by watercraft were responsible for an average of 55 manatees in the last five years, according to FWC data. — Joe Mario Pedersen, orlandosentinel.com, "Florida steps up enforcement to stop manatee boat deaths: report," 19 July 2019 Over a period of weeks, red tide toxins can wipe out populations of fish and shellfish and kill large numbers of sea turtles and even some bigger animals such as manatees and dolphins. — Tom Metcalfe, NBC News, "What is red tide?," 13 July 2019 But Mariam doesn’t swim with the other members of her species—relatives of the manatee, which can be found in warm coastal waters from Africa to Australia. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Friendly Baby Dugong Becomes Conservation Symbol in Thailand," 3 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'manatee.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for manatee
manatee
noun
English Language Learners Definition of manatee
: a large animal that lives in warm waters and eats plants
See the full definition for manatee in the English Language Learners Dictionary
manatee
noun
man·a·tee
| \ ˈma-nə-ˌtē
\
\
Kids Definition of manatee
: a mainly tropical water-dwelling mammal that eats plants and has a broad rounded tail