Tasmanian devil
noun
Tas·ma·nian devil
(ˌ)taz-ˈmā-nē-ən- 
-nyən-
: a heavily built carnivorous nocturnal Tasmanian marsupial (Sarcophilus harrisii) that is about the size of a badger and has powerful jaws and teeth and a chiefly black coat marked with white on the chest
Examples of Tasmanian devil in a Sentence
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The egg-laying mammals also have to contend with predators, which can include hawks, eagles, Tasmanian devils, snakes and dingoes.
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Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024
While Australia does have an impressive array of particularly charismatic examples — Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, koalas, wombats, wallabies and bandicoots, to name a few — these comprise roughly 70 percent of the world’s population, with the other 30 percent hailing from the Americas.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024
While Australia does have an impressive array of particularly charismatic examples — Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, koalas, wombats, wallabies and bandicoots, to name a few — these comprise roughly 70 percent of the world’s population, with the other 30 percent hailing from the Americas.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Tasmanian devil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Tasmanian devil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Tasmanian%20devil. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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