critter

crit·ter
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US/ˈkɹɪtɚ/UK/ˈkɹɪtə/

noun

A creature, and specifically, an animal or something animal-like.

Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

nouncritter (plural critters)

plural critters

  1. AustraliaUSendearingusuallyA creature, and specifically, an animal or something animal-like.

    The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile.

    2013 July 26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects …”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 32
  2. USrail transportA small locomotive used in an industrial setting.

    One of the biggest challenges facing a railfan photographer is the correct identification of one manufacturer's "critter" locomotive from that of another competing builder.

    2025 March 7 (last accessed), R. Craig Rutherford, The Diesel Shop

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
animal

Origin

First attested 1815, from a dialectal pronunciation of creature.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Czech tvor, stvoření
  • tvora creature
  • stvořenía creature
  • zvířátkoa creature
  • breberaa creature
Finnish luontokappale
  • luontokappalea creature
French bébête, bestiole
  • bébêtea creature
  • bestiolea creature
German Kreatur, Tier
  • Kreatura creature
  • Tiera creature
Italian bestiola, animaletto
  • bestiolaa creature
  • animalettoa creature
Polish futrzak, stworzonko
  • futrzaka creature
  • stworzonkoa creature
Portuguese criatura
  • criaturaa creature
Romanian creatură, vietate
  • creaturăa creature
  • vietatea creature
Russian зверюшка, зверушка
  • зверюшка (zverjuška)a creature
  • зверушка (zveruška)a creature
  • зверёк (zverjók)a creature
Spanish bichito, críter
  • bichitoa creature
  • crítera creature
  • animalitoa creature
Swedish kreatur
  • kreatura creature

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with critter

bitterglittersplittersitterhitterjitterfitterknitterwitterquitterfritterskitterflittertwitterchitterchemotransmittercrinklecritterdiapercritterembitterin the shitternitterpampcritterquittorreknitter
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

critter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/critter

MLA

“critter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/critter. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “critter,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/critter.

Source: critter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.