habitat

habitat — noun

1. The kind of place where a living thing naturally lives in the wild.

1.nounB1
Definition

The kind of place where a living thing naturally lives in the wild.

Example

The Amazon rainforest is a rich habitat for thousands of plant and animal species.

habitat for + [species / plants / animals]

When developers drained the wetland, the local birds lost their natural habitat.

lose one's natural habitat

Common collocations
  • natural habitat
  • native habitat
  • breeding habitat
  • coastal habitat
  • forest habitat
  • marine habitat
  • fragile habitat
  • wildlife habitat
  • destroy a habitat
  • protect a habitat
  • restore a habitat
  • habitat loss
  • habitat destruction
  • habitat conservation
Synonyms
  • environment

    broader term; can refer to any surroundings, not just where a specific species lives

  • home

    more informal and emotional; often used in nature writing ('the forest is home to many birds')

  • territory

    refers to an area an animal actively defends against others, not just its living space

  • ecosystem

    larger concept that includes the habitat plus all the living and non-living things interacting within it

Grammar Patterns

habitat + for + [creature]

habitat + of + [creature]

Usage Note

Often used with a possessive noun or 'of' to specify which creature's habitat (the frog's habitat, the habitat of the polar bear).

Common Mistakes

The forest is a beautiful habitat.
The forest is a habitat for deer and rabbits.
'habitat' only makes sense when referring to the creatures that live there, not as a general term for a natural area.
I need a quiet habitat to study.
I need a quiet place to study.
'habitat' is NOT used for human living spaces; use 'place' or 'environment' instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Habitat, environment, ecosystem, territory, and home all relate to where living things exist, but they differ in scope and usage. Habitat is the most specific—it refers to the natural setting a particular species needs to survive (the panda's bamboo-forest habitat). Environment is broader, covering any surroundings (natural or artificial) that affect an organism. Ecosystem is larger still, including the living community and the physical environment as a functioning whole. Territory is narrower and behavioural, meaning an area an animal actively defends from others of its kind. Home is informal and often carries emotional warmth ('the forest is home to deer'). For everyday nature talk, habitat and environment are the most useful words; use habitat when you want to stress the species–place connection.

environment ↗ecosystem ↗territory ↗home ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in one's natural habitat
  • habitat for wildlife
  • loss of habitat

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Habitat comes directly from Latin, where it is the third-person singular form of the verb habitāre, meaning 'to live, dwell, or inhabit.' It literally meant 'it inhabits' or 'it dwells.' The word entered English in the late 1700s as a botanical and zoological term for the place where a plant or animal naturally grows or lives.