: any of a genus (Velociraptor) of theropod dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous having a long head with a flat snout and a large sickle-shaped claw on the second toe of each foot
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe velociraptor will have learned to open the door. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2022 Yet, of all those names listed above, one has been absolutely mischaracterized throughout the entire series: the velociraptor. Carson Burton, Variety, 10 June 2022 However, the velociraptor would not have crossed paths with either. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 9 June 2022 Exactly how those dinos have multiplied and spread across the planet in four years remains a hazy detail, though the surviving velociraptor known as Blue has reproduced without a mate thanks to her strand of monitor lizard DNA. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 June 2022 In reality, velociraptor dinosaurs were far less aggressive than deinonychus dinosaurs and were likely about the size of turkeys, according to Christie’s. Carlie Porterfield, Forbes, 13 May 2022 For Dern, that means recalling the preparation that went into her intense velociraptor chase scene. Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 12 May 2022 And the partial skeleton of a velociraptor hits the auction block.CNN, 15 May 2022 Pratt starred as Owen Grady, a Navy veteran and velociraptor handler at the theme park. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 10 Feb. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin, from Latin vēlōc-, vēlōx "swift, rapid" + -i--i- + raptor "plunderer, predator" — more at velocity, raptor
Note: The genus Velociraptor was introduced by the American paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn (1857-1935) in "Three new Theropoda, Protoceratops zone, Central Mongolia," American Museum Novitates, No. 144 (November 7, 1924).