endangered species

noun
1.
a species at risk of extinction because of human activity, changes in climate, changes in predator-prey ratios, etc., especially when officially designated as such by a governmental agency such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Origin
1965-70
Examples from the web for endangered species
  • The internal and/or academic hire is becoming the endangered species.
  • We all knew that earmarks were an endangered species.
  • New programming is an endangered species, hiring freezes are the name of the game, and everything seems up for grabs.
  • Meanwhile, adjuncts need to view tenure-track faculty members as an endangered species in need of protection.
  • They're also something of an endangered species, threatened by the destruction of their professional habitat.
  • To an environmentalist, half an endangered species is an extinct species.
  • The number of moose has increased greatly since early in the century, when they were an endangered species.
  • Unavoidably, some frogs will be sacrificed in the process, but they won't become an endangered species.
  • But in the rich world newspapers are now an endangered species.
  • Third, they must not undermine incentives to conserve endangered species in the wild.
endangered species in Science
endangered species
  (ěn-dān'jərd)   
A plant or animal species existing in such small numbers that it is in danger of becoming extinct, especially such a species placed in jeopardy as a result of human activity. One of the principal factors in the endangerment or extinction of a species is the destruction or pollution of its native habitat. Other factors include overhunting, intentional extermination, and the accidental or intentional introduction of alien species that outcompete the native species for environmental resources.
Idioms and Phrases with endangered species

endangered species

A group threatened with extinction or destruction. For example, Workers willing to put in overtime without extra pay are an endangered species, or With the new budget cuts, public television has become an endangered species. This expression, originally referring to species of plants or animals in danger of dying out, began in the 1980s to be extended to anything or anyone becoming rare.