crea‧ture W3 / kritʃə $ -ər / 名词 [可数名词]
1 living thing anything that is living, such as an animal, fish, or insect, but not a plant :
all the living creatures in the sea
creatures of the deep (= animals and fish that live in the ocean )
2 imaginary or strange an imaginary animal or person, or one that is very strange and frightening :
creatures from outer space
3 a creature of habit someone who always does things in the same way or at the same time
4 something made or invented formal something, especially something bad, that was made or invented by a particular person or organization
creature of
The poll tax was a creature of the government.
5 somebody controlled by something someone who is controlled or influenced a lot by something
creature of
He was a creature of the military government.
6 beautiful/stupid/adorable etc creature literary someone who has a particular character or quality :
He was the most beautiful creature Dot had ever seen.
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + creature
a living creature The early Greeks believed that plants were living creatures that felt pain and pleasure.
a little/small/tiny creature tiny creatures such as mice
a beautiful/magnificent creature The buffalo is a magnificent creature.
a wild creature Damage to the environment affects all wild creatures.
a sea/marine creature ( also an ocean creature ) The first living creatures were marine creatures.
a furry creature Town dwellers see the squirrel as a cute furry creature, but to farmers they’re a pest.
a dangerous creature dangerous creatures such as tigers
a nocturnal creature (= awake at night and sleeping in the day ) As darkness falls, nocturnal creatures begin to make an appearance.
a primitive/simple creature (= one with only a few cells ) primitive creatures like bacteria
a complex creature (= consisting of many different parts ) Human beings are extremely complex creatures.
THESAURUS
animal a living thing such as a dog, cow, or tiger, but not an insect, fish, or bird : farm animals such as cows, sheep, and pigs | People are becoming more concerned about animal welfare.
creature / kritʃə $ -ər / an animal – used especially when describing a particular animal’s characteristics or when referring to animals generally : The cheetah is a magnificent creature. | all the living creatures in the sea
beast an animal, especially a large or dangerous one : To most people, lions are savage beasts. | a wild beast
living thing an animal considered as one of a group of things that grow and then die, including humans and plants : The only living things we saw were dogs and cats.
species / spiʃiz / a group of animals whose members are similar and can breed together to produce young animals : Seven species of birds of prey have been observed.
mammal an animal that drinks milk from its mother’s body when it is young : Humans, dogs, and whales are all mammals.
vertebrate a living creature that has a backbone : viruses that affect chickens, monkeys, and most other vertebrates
invertebrate a living creature that does not have a backbone : earthworms and other small invertebrates