plural noun
Two or more living creatures other than people, such as dogs, cats, birds, or fish.
The farm has many animals.
The shelter takes care of homeless animals.
American English
How to pronounce animals
nounA1Very common word
AAnuhmlz
/ˈæ.nə.ml̩z/
3 syllables · Stress the first syllable.
Form of animal
Two or more living creatures other than people, such as dogs, cats, birds, or fish.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
plural noun
In science, two or more living creatures that are not plants; this group includes people.
In biology, humans and other animals need energy.
Animals are part of the natural world.
plural noun
People who behave in a very rough, wild, or uncontrolled way.
Those men acted like animals and destroyed the room.
The crowd became animals after the fight.
Good to know
When it describes people, it is usually insulting.
Useful expressions
a place that cares for animals without a home
We adopted our dog from an animal shelter.
the idea that animals should be treated well and protected
She works for animal rights.
to treat someone very badly or without respect
They treated the prisoners like animals.