pterodactyl
noun
ptero·dac·tyl
| \ ˌter-ə-ˈdak-tᵊl
\
\
Definition of pterodactyl
: any of various pterosaurs (suborder Pterodactyloidea) of the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous having a rudimentary tail and a beak with reduced dentition
broadly
: pterosaur
Examples of pterodactyl in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Or when Yaba Daba Doo’s pterodactyl wings blew off before leaving the barge. — Deanna Weniger, Twin Cities, "Minneapolis’ ‘Spooner’s Revenge’ wins Red Bull Flugtag event after placing second in 2010," 7 Sep. 2019 A half-shark, half-octopus battles a half-pterodactyl, half-barracuda. — Los Angeles Times, "Here are the feature and TV films airing the week of Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019," 11 Aug. 2019 Jurassic Park’ Tale of the tape: Rodan is the pterodactyl-like firebird who emerges from a volcano and doles out some sick burns for his opponents. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "Cage fight! We pit Godzilla's monster squad against pop culture's biggest and baddest," 28 May 2019 In 2002 researchers discovered in the Transylvania region of Romania what may have been the world’s largest pterodactyl. — Natalie Angier, The New York Review of Books, "Serengeti on the Seine," 9 May 2019 Who could forget Tommy Heinsohn throwing punches with a pterodactyl? — Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, "How the Warriors, Cavaliers are linked in history," 30 May 2018 Image Blessed with a spectacular talent, a 7-foot-3 hybrid of a shooting guard and a pterodactyl defender, most teams would craft a team and organizational philosophy around him. — Michael Powell, New York Times, "David Fizdale Is Totally Going to Save the Knicks," 4 May 2018 Or just hang out at the infinity pool and watch the soaring pterodactyl-like frigate birds, or look for geckos while performing mojito quality checks on the latest shipment of mint. — By Brian Melton, star-telegram, "Can You Belize It? Tropical wonderland offers getaway for all types of travelers," 6 Sep. 2017 There is now, as well, a lottery pick point guard on the team — the intriguing Frank Ntilikina, a 6-5 French teenager with a pterodactyl’s wingspan. — Michael Powell, New York Times, "Zen Phil Is Gone, but All Is Not Lost for Knicks," 28 June 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pterodactyl.' 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 pterodactyl
pterodactyl
noun
English Language Learners Definition of pterodactyl
: a large flying animal that lived long ago when dinosaurs were alive
See the full definition for pterodactyl in the English Language Learners Dictionary
pterodactyl
noun
ptero·dac·tyl
| \ ˌter-ə-ˈdak-tᵊl
\
\
Kids Definition of pterodactyl
: a very large extinct flying reptile that lived at the same time as the dinosaurs