eel
noun
\ ˈēl
\
\
Definition of eel
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: any of numerous voracious elongate snakelike bony fishes (order Anguilliformes) that have a smooth slimy skin, lack pelvic fins, and have the median fins confluent around the tail — compare american eel
b
: any of numerous other elongate fishes (as of the order Synbranchiformes)
2
: any of various nematodes (such as the vinegar eel)
eel
verb
eeled;
eeling;
eels
Definition of eel (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: to fish for eels — see also eeling
b
: to fish with eels as bait
2
: to move or make (one's way) sinuously or insidiously : worm
Stories my Russian friends had told me about the hundreds who were trampled at Stalin's funeral came back to me. Finally, we gave up and eeled our way out of there.— Ian Frazier
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Other Words from eel
Noun
eellike
\ ˈēl-ˌlīk
\
adjective
\
adjective
eely
\ ˈē-lē
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of eel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Puffins feed their young on sand eels and, suspects Sjurdur Hammer, a conservation scientist at the Faroese Environment Agency, sand eels’ nutritional value has gone down because the seas are warmer, speeding up their metabolism. — The Economist, "Puffins on the Faroe Islands are in danger," 9 Aug. 2019 Her daughter Mamie told me that Melvin and Licurtis had revelled in the land as kids, playing among the inky eels and conch shells. — Lizzie Presser, ProPublica, "The Reels Brothers Spent Eight Years in Jail for Refusing to Leave It.," 15 July 2019 Another sharp decline in the wild population came in the mid-1990s, when millions of horseshoe crabs were being caught and killed each year, mainly for bait in eel and whelk fisheries. — Maddy Lauria, baltimoresun.com, "Using synthetic crab blood substitute in biomedical testing could help save horseshoe crabs and shorebirds," 22 June 2019 These soft-bodied, golf ball-size cephalopods don’t have much to protect them from predators like seals, eels and fish. — Quanta Magazine, "New Squid Genome Shines Light on Symbiotic Evolution," 19 Feb. 2019 Green sea turtles, butterflyfish, parrotfish, tangs, eels and triggerfish thrive along the underwater lava rock ledge of Puu Kekaa — Black Rock. — The Seattle Times, "Winter getaway: Stay and play in Kaanapali, Maui," 15 Aug. 2018 Part 5 will be an auditory treat featuring the mysterious sounds of the sea, from grunting haddock to singing cusk eels. — Amanda Paulson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Message in a bottle: Forensics meets marine science with eDNA," 15 Aug. 2019 At 6,000 years old, the freshwater aquaculture system that traps eels in Budj Bim is older than Stonehenge—and is vital to the area’s Aborigine culture and economic success. — Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "UNESCO's Newest World Heritage Sites, in Photos," 11 July 2019 Bottom-dwelling organisms like eel and shrimp will swim 60 feet to the surface just to get some oxygen. — Sarah Kaplan, Twin Cities, "‘A major punch in the gut’: Midwest rains projected to create Gulf dead zone," 11 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
These men eel entitled and had been protected from being outed. — James Warren, vanityfair.com, "How Hollywood Will Change After Weinstein," 20 Oct. 2017 These men eel entitled and had been protected from being outed. — James Warren, The Hive, "How Hollywood Will Change After Weinstein," 20 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for eel
eel
noun
English Language Learners Definition of eel
: a long fish that looks like a snake and has smooth slippery skin
See the full definition for eel in the English Language Learners Dictionary
eel
noun
\ ˈēl
\
\
Kids Definition of eel
: a long fish that looks like a snake and has smooth slimy skin
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