theropod
noun
the·ro·pod ˈthir-ə-ˌpäd 
plural theropods
: any of a suborder (Theropoda) of carnivorous, bipedal, saurischian dinosaurs (such as a tyrannosaur or velociraptor) having hollow, thin-walled bones and usually small forelimbs
Note: Birds are descended from one lineage of small theropods.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web In a statement sent to PEOPLE, a park spokesperson said tracks that were recently found belong to a theropod called Acrocanthosaurus and a sauropod called Sauroposeidon. 
Jason Duaine Hahn, Peoplemag, 23 Aug. 2022 Preliminary measurements taken on a footprint from one of two theropod trackways found in La Rioja, Spain. Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 9 Dec. 2021 Tyrannosaurus rex, however, was a late Cretaceous theropod and didn’t overlap with the La Rioja track makers. Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 9 Dec. 2021 The theropod that made the larger pair of tracks, which were called La Torre 6A-14, was running between 14.5 and 23.1 miles per hour (23.3 and 37.2 kilometers per hour). Megan Marples, CNN, 9 Dec. 2021 The exhibit features a skeleton and a lifelike replica of the 25-foot-long cryolophosaurus, the largest and most complete theropod from the Early Jurassic period ever found on Earth. Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Oct. 2020 Coins featuring the Megalosaurus, a carnivorous theropod named by the British paleontologist William Buckland in 1824, are already available. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Feb. 2020 This large theropod roamed what is now known as the American West roughly 67 million years ago, and its 188 bones represent one the most complete T. rex skeletons ever found. Kelly Crow, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2020 More importantly, Rauhut and Pol say, Asfaltovenator appears to display traits of more than one theropod lineage. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 May 2020 See More
Jason Duaine Hahn, Peoplemag, 23 Aug. 2022 Preliminary measurements taken on a footprint from one of two theropod trackways found in La Rioja, Spain. Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 9 Dec. 2021 Tyrannosaurus rex, however, was a late Cretaceous theropod and didn’t overlap with the La Rioja track makers. Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 9 Dec. 2021 The theropod that made the larger pair of tracks, which were called La Torre 6A-14, was running between 14.5 and 23.1 miles per hour (23.3 and 37.2 kilometers per hour). Megan Marples, CNN, 9 Dec. 2021 The exhibit features a skeleton and a lifelike replica of the 25-foot-long cryolophosaurus, the largest and most complete theropod from the Early Jurassic period ever found on Earth. Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Oct. 2020 Coins featuring the Megalosaurus, a carnivorous theropod named by the British paleontologist William Buckland in 1824, are already available. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Feb. 2020 This large theropod roamed what is now known as the American West roughly 67 million years ago, and its 188 bones represent one the most complete T. rex skeletons ever found. Kelly Crow, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2020 More importantly, Rauhut and Pol say, Asfaltovenator appears to display traits of more than one theropod lineage. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 May 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin Theropoda, from Greek thēr wild animal + pod-, pous foot — more at fierce, foot
First Known Use
1883, in the meaning defined above