Human beings seem to be classic omnivores. Originally living as "hunter-gatherers", we hunted and fished when possible but also gathered nuts, berries, fruits, seeds, and roots for much of our diet. We're physically well suited for both tasks; our hands are perfect for picking things, and our build is ideal for running down even the fastest game animals because of our great stamina. Some 10,000 years ago humans began practicing agriculture involving both animals and plants. The other omnivorous mammals include chimpanzees, pigs, opossums, porcupines, bears, raccoons, chipmunks, mice and rats, and skunks. But even many mammals classed as carnivorous turn out to be capable of shifting to plant foods when necessary.
Examples of omnivore in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebThe prescribed omnivore diet included at least one serving of fish, meat, or chicken every day, as well as one egg and a serving and a half of dairy.—Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 9 Dec. 2023 Those who ate an omnivore’s diet (meat, plants, everything) were more likely to have caught COVID (52 percent) than herbivores (40 percent).—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2024 The gibbons are omnivores, but most of their diet comes from plants and not animals.—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2024 Yes, chimpanzees are considered omnivores because their diet includes fruits, nuts, seeds, insects, and meat.—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024 Brown bears are wide-ranging omnivores with diets that vary seasonally, inter-annually and geographically.—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2024 All participants were omnivores before the study began.—Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 9 Dec. 2023 What does bear poop look like? Bears are omnivores, and like most wild critters their diet is constantly changing with the seasons.—Steven Hill, Field & Stream, 29 Nov. 2023 These small mammals are generally active during both the day and night and are omnivores.—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'omnivore.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
New Latin omnivora, neuter plural of omnivorus, from Latin
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