Illustration of manatee
manatee
noun
man·a·tee
ˈma-nə-ˌtē 
: any of a genus (Trichechus of the family Trichechidae) of large, herbivorous, aquatic mammals that inhabit warm coastal and inland waters of the southeastern U.S., West Indies, northern South America, and West Africa and have a rounded body, a small head with a squarish snout, paddle-shaped flippers usually with vestigial nails, and a flattened, rounded tail used for propulsion
Note: Manatees are sirenians related to and resembling the dugong but differing most notably in the shape of the tail.
An aquatic relative of the elephant, manatees grow up to nine feet long and can weigh 1,000 pounds.—
Felicity Barringer
Felicity Barringer
Examples of manatee in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to canoeing and kayaking are opportunities for birding, diving, snorkeling, swimming and wildlife watching, so don’t be surprised to paddle alongside a manatee.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2024
About 1,000 manatees piled together in a Florida park, setting a breathtaking record
How many manatees are left?
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024
Poor water quality and toxic algal blooms have resulted in fish kills, manatee and dolphin die-offs, and takeovers by invasive species.
—Graham A. J. Worthy, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2018
Disney's Vero Beach Resort Vero Beach, Florida Situated on Florida's Treasure Coast, Vero Beach is a paradise for nature lovers, boasting miles of unspoiled Atlantic beaches as well as the Indian River Lagoon, North America’s most diverse estuary and home to a large population of manatees.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA TODAY, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for manatee 
Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2024
About 1,000 manatees piled together in a Florida park, setting a breathtaking record
How many manatees are left?
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024
Poor water quality and toxic algal blooms have resulted in fish kills, manatee and dolphin die-offs, and takeovers by invasive species.
—Graham A. J. Worthy, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2018
Disney's Vero Beach Resort Vero Beach, Florida Situated on Florida's Treasure Coast, Vero Beach is a paradise for nature lovers, boasting miles of unspoiled Atlantic beaches as well as the Indian River Lagoon, North America’s most diverse estuary and home to a large population of manatees.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA TODAY, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for manatee
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'manatee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Manatee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manatee. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
manatee
noun
man·a·tee
ˈman-ə-ˌtē
: any of several chiefly tropical water-dwelling mammals that eat plants and differ from the related dugong especially in having the tail broad and rounded
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