Meaning & use
critter
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Meanings
nouncountableinformalAmerican
An animal or other living creature, usually small and often wild, in casual talk.
Grammar: A countable noun: a critter, several critters.
Patterns
- a little critter
A little critter scampered under the porch.
The kids love watching the critters at the pond.
Something in the garden is eating my lettuce, and I think it's a critter.
nouncountableinformalhumorous
A person or being you speak of affectionately or humorously, like a creature.
Grammar: Humorous, often in the phrase a funny critter.
He is a cranky old critter, but he means well.
That poor critter has been working all day.
Word forms
| plural | critters |
|---|
Common combinations
- wild critter
- A wild critter has been raiding the trash.
- little critter
- The little critter hid in a hollow log.
- backyard critters
- We feed the backyard critters in winter.
- furry critter
- A furry critter dashed across the road.
- critter cam
- The park set up a critter cam by the stream.
Synonyms and how they differ
- creature
- Creature is neutral and works in any register, while critter is casual and a little folksy.
- animal
- Animal is the standard word, and critter adds an affectionate or playful tone.
- varmint
- Varmint implies a pest or nuisance animal, whereas critter is milder.
- beast
- Beast suggests something large or fierce, which critter rarely does.
Word family
Commonly confused: critter or critic?
critter vs critic
A critic is someone who judges books, films or art. A critter is an animal.
Practice
The farmer said some small ___ had been getting into the chicken coop at night.
Choose one answer.
Critters means small animals in casual speech. Critics, creeds and crafters do not mean animals.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “critter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.