What does "dinosaur" mean?

1. (extinct animal) a type of animal that lived millions of years ago and is now extinct. 2. (old-fashioned person or thing) someone or something that is very old, out of date, or refuses to change.

How do you use "dinosaur"?

Often used as a mild insult or a self-deprecating joke about being behind the times.

dinosaur

US //ˈdaɪnəˌsɔɹ// UK //dˈaɪnəsˌɔː// di·nosaur

1 extinct animal (n.)
A1 Beginner Science

a type of animal that lived millions of years ago and is now extinct.

any of the diverse group of reptiles within the clade Dinosauria that were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates from the Triassic to the Cretaceous.

Example

The children were excited to see the huge dinosaur skeletons at the museum.

Example

Paleontologists continue to debate whether certain dinosaur species were endothermic or if their metabolic rates shifted with environmental temperatures.
- prehistoric creature
2 old-fashioned person or thing (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Humorous

someone or something that is very old, out of date, or refuses to change.

a person, organisation, or technology regarded as obsolete or stubbornly resistant to modern progress.

Example

My grandfather calls himself a dinosaur because he refuses to use a smartphone.

Example

The company was once a market leader, but it has become a corporate dinosaur, unable to compete with more agile tech startups.

Usage

Often used as a mild insult or a self-deprecating joke about being behind the times.
- innovator
- modernist

Origin

From Ancient Greek δεινός (deinós, “terrible, awesome, mighty, fearfully great”) + σαῦρος (saûros, “lizard, reptile”). Coined as Dinosaur(s) and Dinosauria by paleontologist Richard Owen in 1841/1842.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Idioms1 entry

01
go the way of the dinosaurs
To go extinct or become obsolete; to fall out of common use or practice; to become a thing of the past.

Last updated June 20, 2026