English · Word Candidate

dinosaur

/ˈdaɪnəsɔː(ɹ)/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: dinosaurs

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Those animals of the clade Dinosauria that existed during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and are now extinct.

Noun

Examples

Despite what some cartoons portray, no humans were around when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Any of the animals belonging to the clade Dinosauria, including its sole surviving lineage: Neornithes.

Noun

Examples

Many people love their backyard birds, but some of us may not realize that those feathery friends are also literally dinosaurs, in a biologically accurate sense of that word.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “dinosaur” mean?

Those animals of the clade Dinosauria that existed during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and are now extinct.

Is “dinosaur” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.