Meaning of “creature” in the English Dictionary

"creature" in English

See all translations

uk /ˈkriː.tʃər/ us /ˈkriː.tʃɚ/

B1 any large or small living thing that can move independently:

Rainforests are filled with amazing creatures.

Don't all living creatures have certain rights?

Blue whales are the largest creatures ever to have lived.

› used to refer to a life form that is unusual or imaginary:

The unicorn is a mythical creature.

The film was about creatures from outer space.

The duck-billed platypus is a truly bizarre creature.

› used to refer to a person when an opinion is being expressed about them:

John is a strange/weak/pathetic creature.

A lovely blonde creature (= a beautiful blonde woman) walked into the room.

More examples

The unicorn is a fabulous creature.
Strangely, no one believed us when we told them we'd been visited by a creature from Mars.
We saw many creatures of the forest.
His book examines the symbolism of many mythical creatures.
The log was home to all sorts of little creatures.