1
: a carnivorous medium- to large-sized bird (such as a hawk, eagle, owl, or vulture) that has a hooked beak and large sharp talons and that feeds wholly or chiefly on meat taken by hunting or on carrion : bird of prey
2
: a usually small-to-medium-sized predatory dinosaur (such as a velociraptor or deinonychus)
Examples of raptor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These findings provoke a deeper consideration of how large raptors may have historically influenced primate behavior and evolution.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
But also, all your raptors, your foxes and coyotes, everything else was filling up on cicadas, too.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2025
Over 230 bird species have been recorded, including shorebirds, raptors, prairie birds, and large numbers of waterfowl.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Wild raptors like eagles, hawks, and falcons, need this continual keratin growth to keep their beaks and talons sharp for hunting.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2025
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Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
But also, all your raptors, your foxes and coyotes, everything else was filling up on cicadas, too.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2025
Over 230 bird species have been recorded, including shorebirds, raptors, prairie birds, and large numbers of waterfowl.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Wild raptors like eagles, hawks, and falcons, need this continual keratin growth to keep their beaks and talons sharp for hunting.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for raptor
Cite this Entry
“Raptor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raptor. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
raptor
noun
rap·tor
ˈrap-tər 
Etymology
Latin raptor "plunderer," from rapere "to seize"
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