car·ni·vore

[kahr-nuh-vawr, -vohr]
noun
1.
an animal that eats flesh.
2.
a flesh-eating mammal of the order Carnivora, comprising the dogs, cats, bears, seals, and weasels.
3.
an insectivorous plant.
Origin:
1850–55; < Latin carnivorus carnivorous

Related forms
car·niv·o·ral [kahr-niv-er-uhl] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
carnivore (ˈkɑːnɪˌvɔː) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  any placental mammal of the order Carnivora, typically having large pointed canine teeth and sharp molars and premolars, specialized for eating flesh. The order includes cats, dogs, bears, raccoons, hyenas, civets, and weasels
2.  any other animal or any plant that feeds on animals
3.  informal an aggressively ambitious person
 
[C19: probably back formation from carnivorous]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Carnivore is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

carnivore
1854, from Fr. carnivore (16c.), from L. carnivorus "flesh-eating" (see carnivorous).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
carnivore   (kär'nə-vôr')  Pronunciation Key 

    1. An animal that feeds chiefly on the flesh of other animals. Carnivores include predators such as lions and alligators, and scavengers such as hyenas and vultures. In a food chain, carnivores are either secondary or tertiary consumers. Compare detritivore, herbivore.

    2. Any of various generally meat-eating mammals of the order Carnivora. Carnivores have large, sharp canine teeth and large brains, and the musculoskeletal structure of their forelimbs permits great flexibility for springing at prey. Many carnivores remain in and defend a single territory. Dogs, cats, bears, weasels, raccoons, hyenas, and (according to some classifications) seals and walruses are all carnivores.

  2. A plant that eats insects, such as a Venus flytrap.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
carnivore [(kahr-nuh-vawr)]

A living thing that eats meat. Among mammals, there is an order of carnivores, including primarily meat-eating animals such as tigers and dogs. Some plants, such as the Venus's-flytrap, are carnivores.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
The carnivore becomes infected when it eats meat from a herbivore with cysts.
The fierce carnivore tracks the wounded creature and dines at its leisure once
  the prey collapses.
The bigger the herbivore gets the bigger the carnivore has to get to reach its
  food.
Another rare forest carnivore that potentially occurs in the watershed is the
  wolverine.
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