grazing animals

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   Animals such as cows, sheep or horses that eat grass growing in a field.

   Grammar: Always plural in this form; for one animal say 'a grazing animal'.

   Patterns

   • grazing animals on the land
   • herds of grazing animals

   The farmer moved the grazing animals to a fresh field.

   Grazing animals keep the grass short and healthy.

   Wild grazing animals such as deer often visit these woods at dawn.

2. 2nounpluraltechnical

   Animals that feed mainly on grass and other low plants rather than on meat.

   Grammar: Used in biology and farming to describe a feeding group; the singular is 'a grazing animal'.

   Patterns

   • large grazing animals
   • grazing animals and predators

   In this ecosystem, grazing animals convert grass into meat and milk.

   Elephants are among the largest grazing animals in the world.

Word forms

Common combinations

herds of grazing animals

Herds of grazing animals wandered across the plain.

grazing animals on the farm

The grazing animals on the farm are mostly sheep.

wild grazing animals

Wild grazing animals can damage young trees.

keep grazing animals

They keep grazing animals on the lower fields.

grazing animals feed on grass

Grazing animals feed on grass for most of the day.

Synonyms and how they differ

livestock

Refers to farm animals kept for profit, whether or not they are actually eating grass at that moment.

herbivores

A scientific word for any plant-eating animal, including ones that browse leaves rather than graze.

cattle

Only covers cows and bulls, whereas grazing animals can also be sheep, horses or deer.

Opposites

Word family

graze verb

To eat grass growing in a field.

grazer noun

An animal that grazes.

grazing noun

The act or activity of eating grass.

grassland noun

Land covered mainly with grass where animals graze.

Commonly confused: grazing animals or grazing land?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “grazing animals”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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