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Definition of livebearer
livebearer
/ˈlaɪvˌbɛər.ər/
live · bear · er
Plural:livebearers
•Adjective:livebearing
livebearer Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
10
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
Any freshwater or brackish fish (especially members of the family Poeciliidae native to the Americas, such as guppies, mollies, platies, and swordtails) that retains its fertilized eggs internally and gives birth to free-swimming young.
Example
"Guppies and mollies are popular aquarium livebearers because their fry emerge fully formed and ready to swim."
2
Any viviparous or ovoviviparous animal that gives birth to live offspring rather than laying eggs externally.
Example
"Unlike most reptiles that deposit eggs in nests, the boa constrictor is a livebearer."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for livebearer• Nearby Words
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Livebearer. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/livebearer