lamprey
noun
lam·prey
| \ ˈlam-prē
, -ˌprā\
, -ˌprā\
plural lampreys
Definition of lamprey
: any of a family (Petromyzontidae) of eel-shaped freshwater or anadromous jawless fishes that include those cyclostomes having well-developed eyes and a large disk-shaped suctorial mouth armed with horny teeth
— called also lamprey eel
Examples of lamprey in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The department says the larval lamprey live in freshwater for a few years burrowed in sandy substrate. — USA TODAY, "Black Hills yaks, serious senioritis on campus, Pony Express: News from around our 50 states," 10 June 2019 Sea lions now eat about 22 percent of the winter steelhead and almost 10 percent of spring Chinook, along with significant quantities of lamprey and coho. — Sallie Tisdale, Harper's magazine, "Catechism of the Waters," 10 June 2019 This may help the lake steelheads recover from parasitic lampreys, which are widespread in that fresh water. — Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, "This saltwater trout evolved to live in fresh water—in just 100 years," 1 June 2018 Failure to detect and subsequently eliminate larvae allows the lampreys to transform into parasitic adults and kill Great Lakes fish. — Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, "Scientists on the hunt for blood-sucking sea lampreys in metro Detroit," 22 May 2018 Sturgeon fishing remains excellent with salmon roe or lamprey eel in Suisun Bay for the few guides still working the area. — sacbee, "Fishing line: Striper action takes off near Colusa and on Feather River | The Sacramento Bee," 23 Apr. 2018 The only ones known that are so endowed are the lampreys. — The Economist, "Three-eyed lizards are not uncommon. Four-eyed ones are a novelty," 5 Apr. 2018 So Holmes and his colleagues looked at nearly 190 creatures in other vertebrate classes — from jawless fish such as lampreys, which have changed little from their evolutionary ancestors, to reptiles such as turtles. — Giorgia Guglielmi, Scientific American, "Huge Trove of Unknown Viruses Found in Fish, Frogs and Reptiles," 5 Apr. 2018 The researchers obtained dead insects, hagfish, lampreys and other animals to watch them wither away. — Kristin Hugo, Newsweek, "Scientists Are Studying Rotting Animal Carcasses to Understand Why Complete Dinosaur Fossils Are So Rare," 21 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lamprey.' 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 lamprey
lamprey
noun
lam·prey
| \ ˈlam-prē
\
\
plural lampreys
Kids Definition of lamprey
: a water animal that looks like an eel but has a sucking mouth with no jaws
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