habitat

noun

hab·​i·​tat ˈha-bə-ˌtat 

1

a

: the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows

b

: the typical place of residence of a person or a group

the arctic habitat of the Inuit

c

: a housing for a controlled physical environment in which people can live under surrounding inhospitable conditions (as under the sea)

2

: the place where something is commonly found

… has its natural habitat in university, in government, or in industrial laboratories.

—B. B. Watson

Synonyms of habitat

• home
• territory
• range

Examples of habitat in a Sentence

a forest in California is set aside to preserve the unique brushy, rugged habitat required by nesting California condors

Recent Examples on the Web

Eco effort At the end of last year, Banyan Tree established the Rewilding Banyan Fund, set up to help restore natural habitats and increase biodiversity at all Banyan Group properties. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

In the Shawnee, conservationists point to threatened wildlife such as the Indiana bat and timber snake that depend on an intact forest habitat. — Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Kolchin also cited extensive wildfires that had deprived some bears of their habitat as a compounding effect. — Arina Porkhovnik, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026

Development and wildfires have destroyed swaths of the plants’ habitat, while climate change is threatening to make much of what remains inhospitable. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, it inhabits, from habitare

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for habitat

• acrobat
• autocrat
• automat
• bundesrat
• bureaucrat
• butterfat
• caveat
• chemostat
• copycat
• cryostat
• democrat
• diplomat

Kids Definition

habitat

noun

hab·​i·​tat ˈhab-ə-ˌtat 

: the place or type of place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows

Medical Definition

habitat

noun

hab·​i·​tat ˈhab-ə-ˌtat 

1

: the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally occurs

the human pubic region is the natural habitat of the crab louse

2

: a housing for a controlled physical environment in which people can live surrounded by inhospitable conditions (as under the sea)