porcupine
noun
por·cu·pine
| \ ˈpȯr-kyə-ˌpīn
\
\
plural porcupines
also porcupine
Definition of porcupine
(Entry 1 of 2)
: any of various relatively large slow-moving chiefly herbivorous rodents having sharp erectile spines mingled with the hair and constituting an Old World terrestrial family (Hystricidae) and a New World chiefly arboreal family (Erethizontidae)
Porcupine
geographical nameDefinition of Porcupine (Entry 2 of 2)
river 448 miles (721 kilometers) long in northern Yukon and northeastern Alaska flowing north and west into the Yukon River
Examples of porcupine in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Close encounters with a rattlesnake and a porcupine also have kept him alert. — Beth Mlady, cleveland.com, "Middleburg Heights man pursues cross country Appalachian Trail adventure," 4 Aug. 2019 Listed above the couscous, plantains, and green beans were porcupine, antelope, and pangolin. — Paul Hilton, National Geographic, "Poaching is sending the shy, elusive pangolin to its doom," 17 June 2019 In these first few days of life, baby porcupines also start to walk and become mobile quickly. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "This Porcupette, a.k.a. Baby Porcupine, Might Be the Cutest Zoo Birth of 2018," 11 July 2018 Among the dead are 111 hog deer, 18 wild boars, 17 rhinoceros, 12 sambar deer, seven swamp deer, three porcupines, two water buffaloes, and one elephant. — Kuwar Singh, Quartz India, "Ten numbers that sum up the damage caused by the Indian monsoon this year," 29 July 2019 Tonight is quieter than usual, with only cows, a few foxes and porcupine for company. — Andrew Nicla, AZCentral.com, "Late hours, no pay, diminishing returns: Scouring the Arizona desert for black-footed ferrets," 10 July 2019 He's taken pictures at more than 200 zoos in the U.S. alone, including a porcupine at the St. Louis Zoo, and wrangled flamingos (not quite like getting your ducks in a row). — CBS News, "​The Photo Ark: Preserving species before they disappear," 15 Nov. 2015 Some of the animals cared for include bobcats, foxes, skunks, rabbits, black bear cubs, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, javelinas and porcupines. — USA TODAY, "Chicago cows, bras for turtles, gold rush: News from around our 50 states," 1 July 2019 Some of the animals housed at the center include black bear cubs, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, javelinas, skunks, rabbits, squirrels, foxes and porcupines. — Priscilla Totiyapungprasert, azcentral, "Rabbits, bears and bobcats: How has the Woodbury Fire affected Arizona wildlife habitat?," 26 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'porcupine.' 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 porcupine
porcupine
noun
English Language Learners Definition of porcupine
: a small animal that has very stiff, sharp parts (called quills) all over its body
See the full definition for porcupine in the English Language Learners Dictionary
porcupine
noun
por·cu·pine
| \ ˈpȯr-kyə-ˌpīn
\
\
Kids Definition of porcupine
: a gnawing slow-moving animal that is a large rodent and has stiff sharp quills among its hairs
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