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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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In coral reefs, for example, the presence of sharks alters how and where herbivorous fish feed, which in turn affects seaweed growth and habitat structure.
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Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
If necessary, the herbivorous reptiles may have been able to feed on their floating vegetation mats, McGuire said.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Footprints were left by herbivorous dinosaurs A surveyor found the slab containing the most footprints in 2002, the researchers wrote in the paper.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
From the herbivorous Lystrosaurus (not a dinosaur), which looked something like a walrus with legs and a shovel face, to the carnivorous chroniosuchians that resembled giant lizards and fed on insects and small amphibians, the refugium in what is now Xinjiang kept life going.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 2025
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Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
If necessary, the herbivorous reptiles may have been able to feed on their floating vegetation mats, McGuire said.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Footprints were left by herbivorous dinosaurs A surveyor found the slab containing the most footprints in 2002, the researchers wrote in the paper.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
From the herbivorous Lystrosaurus (not a dinosaur), which looked something like a walrus with legs and a shovel face, to the carnivorous chroniosuchians that resembled giant lizards and fed on insects and small amphibians, the refugium in what is now Xinjiang kept life going.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for herbivorous
Cite this Entry
“Herbivorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/herbivorous. Accessed 22 Apr. 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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