Meaning & use
habitat
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountablebiology
The natural home of a plant or animal, including its surroundings and conditions.
Grammar: Often 'natural habitat'; countable for specific places.
Patterns
- the habitat of something
- in its habitat
The otter's habitat is slow rivers and lakes.
Coral reefs are an important marine habitat.
The frog lost much of its habitat to farmland.
nouncountablehumorous
A place or setting where a person or group usually lives or is found.
Grammar: Informal and humorous use.
Patterns
- in someone's habitat
The coffee shop is the writer's natural habitat.
Teenagers in their habitat are glued to their phones.
The library is a student's habitat during exams.
nouncountabletechnical
A sealed living or working space for people in space, underwater or in extreme places.
Grammar: Technical sense in exploration.
Patterns
- a habitat on something
Astronauts lived in a habitat on the station.
The underwater habitat housed six scientists.
Designers planned a habitat for Mars.
Word forms
| plural | habitats |
|---|
Common combinations
- natural habitat
- Pandas are rarely seen in their natural habitat.
- habitat loss
- Habitat loss threatens many birds.
- destroy a habitat
- The road would destroy a habitat for rare frogs.
- protect habitat
- The park aims to protect habitat for wildlife.
- marine habitat
- Seagrass beds form an important marine habitat.
- wildlife habitat
- The wetland provides wildlife habitat.
Synonyms and how they differ
- environment
- Environment is broader and includes all surroundings, not only where a species lives.
- home
- Home is personal and general, while habitat is the scientific term.
- territory
- Territory is the area an animal defends, which is smaller than a habitat.
- ecosystem
- An ecosystem includes all organisms plus their nonliving surroundings, which is wider.
Word family
- habitation noun
- the fact of living in a place
- inhabit verb
- to live in a place
- inhabitant noun
- a person or animal living in a place
- habitable adjective
- suitable to live in
Commonly confused: habitat or ecosystem? habitat or habit?
habitat vs ecosystem
A habitat is where an organism lives, while an ecosystem includes all living and nonliving parts and their interactions.
habitat vs habit
A habit is a regular behavior, not a place.
Practice
Logging has destroyed much of the forest ___ where the owls nest.
Choose one answer.
Habitat is the place where a species lives. Habit means a routine and does not describe a place.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “habitat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.