Dinosaurs were large reptiles which lived in prehistoric times.
2. countable noun
If you refer to an organization as a dinosaur, you mean that it is large, inefficient, and out of date.
[disapproval]
...industrial dinosaurs.
More Synonyms of dinosaur
dinosaur in British English
(ˈdaɪnəˌsɔː)
noun
1.
any extinct terrestrial reptile of the orders Saurischia and Ornithischia, many of which were of gigantic size and abundant in the Mesozoic era
See also saurischian, ornithischian, Compare pterosaur, plesiosaur
2.
a person or thing that is considered to be out of date
Derived forms
dinosaurian (ˌdinoˈsaurian)
adjective
Word origin
C19: from New Latin dinosaurus, from Greek deinos fearful + sauros lizard
dinosaur in American English
(ˈdaɪnəˌsɔr)
noun
1.
any of various extinct, mostly land-dwelling, four-limbed saurischian or ornithischian reptiles of the Mesozoic Era, including some c. 30 m (98.4 ft) long: the flesh-eaters usually walked on their hind limbs, the plant-eaters on all fours
2. Loosely
any large, extinct reptile of the Paleozoic or Mesozoic eras
3.
someone or something thought of as being old-fashioned, outmoded, resistant to change, etc.
Derived forms
dinosaurian (ˌdinoˈsaurian) (ˈdaɪnəˈsɔriən)
adjective
Word origin
dino- + -saur
Examples of 'dinosaur' in a sentence
dinosaur
This raises the possibility that some dinosaurs had larger brains than previously suspected.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Time for this old dinosaur to move on?
The Sun (2015)
Many dinosaur skeletons that are nearly intact have also been unearthed.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
No wonder so many dinosaurs lived there.
The Sun (2011)
These creatures were not dinosaurs but large marine reptiles.
Christianity Today (2000)
This is the era of the dinosaurs.
Radford, Tim & Leggett, Jeremy The Crisis of Life on Earth - our legacy from the second millenium (1990)
If you want to understand extinct dinosaurs you need to understand those groups.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There are dinosaur bones to be found and rock pools to splash in.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The museum knew it was getting a controversial old dinosaur.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It seems there are many undiscovered dinosaurs left.
The Sun (2014)
Large dinosaurs had high nutritional demands that could no longer be met.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The fossilised footprints of dinosaurs can clearly be seen in certain parts of the woodland.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Dinosaur bones and dinosaur footprints cast in sandstone may be seen there.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It is evident now that feathers may be as old as dinosaurs themselves.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It is now clear that many of the dinosaurs were covered not with scales but with feathers.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Dinosaurs mean death in popular culture.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Why did the dinosaurs become extinct?
Porush, David A Short Guide to Writing About Science (1995)
The first British auction of a large dinosaur skeleton takes place.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
When the tide is out, you can see fossilised dinosaur footprints.
The Sun (2014)
Dinosaurs had been extinct for 50 million years.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Last week, we were finding dinosaur bones in the forest.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
High points include a giant yellow taxi driving on to the stage and a scene set in a museum featuring a huge dinosaur skeleton.
The Sun (2007)
And a real dinosaur skeleton.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
dinosaur
British English: dinosaur /ˈdaɪnəˌsɔː/ NOUN
Dinosaurs were large reptiles which lived in prehistoric times.
American English: dinosaur
Arabic: ديناصُور
Brazilian Portuguese: dinossauro
Chinese: 恐龙
Croatian: dinosaur
Czech: dinosaurus
Danish: dinosaur
Dutch: dinosaurus
European Spanish: dinosaurio
Finnish: dinosaurus
French: dinosaure
German: Dinosaurier
Greek: δεινόσαυρος
Italian: dinosauro
Japanese: 恐竜
Korean: 공룡
Norwegian: dinosaur
Polish: dinozaur
European Portuguese: dinossauro
Romanian: dinozaur
Russian: динозавр
Latin American Spanish: dinosaurio
Swedish: dinosaurie
Thai: ไดโนเสาร์
Turkish: dinozor
Ukrainian: динозавр
Vietnamese: con khủng long
Chinese translation of 'dinosaur'
dinosaur
(ˈdaɪnəsɔːʳ)
n(c)
恐龙(龍) (kǒnglóng) (只, zhī)
(pej) 庞(龐)然大物 (pángrán dà wù)
(noun)
Such companies are industrial dinosaurs.
Synonyms
fuddy-duddy (informal)
We didn't want all those old fuddy-duddies around.
anachronism
dodo (informal)
stick-in-the-mud (informal)
a stick-in-the-mud who prefers the old, tried and tested methods
antique (informal)
a genuine antique
fossil (informal)
They dissolved the fossil and extracted the DNA.
relic (informal)
fogy or fogey
back number (informal)
subject word lists
See Dinosaurs
Additional synonyms
in the sense of antique
Definition
a decorative object or piece of furniture, of an earlier period, that is valued for its beauty, workmanship, and age
a genuine antique
Synonyms
period piece,
relic,
bygone,
heirloom,
collector's item,
museum piece,
object of virtu
in the sense of fossil
Definition
remains of a plant or animal that existed in a past geological age, occurring in the form of mineralized bones, shells, etc.
They dissolved the fossil and extracted the DNA.
Synonyms
fossilized remains,
remains,
petrified remains,
impression,
relic
in the sense of stick-in-the-mud
Definition
a person who is unwilling to try anything new or do anything exciting
a stick-in-the-mud who prefers the old, tried and tested methods