octopus
noun
oc·to·pus
| \ ˈäk-tə-pəs
, -ˌpu̇s\
, -ˌpu̇s\
plural octopuses
or octopi\ ˈäk-tə-ˌpī
\
\
Definition of octopus
1
: any of a genus (Octopus) of cephalopod mollusks that have eight muscular arms equipped with two rows of suckers
broadly
: any octopod excepting the paper nautilus
2
: something that resembles an octopus especially in having many centrally directed branches
an octopus of a corporation which lends, buys, produces, and sells — Atlantic
Illustration of octopus
octopus 1
Examples of octopus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This afternoon, old men wilt in a cleft in the rocks, and a schoolgirl hauls a plastic bag heavy with one fat octopus. — Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, "These Islands Near Sicily Might Be the Last Uncrowded Part of Italy," 22 Aug. 2019 There's a massive storm, what looks like a flood, and an attack by some kind of sea monster (or maybe just an octopus), plus a shot of Winslow lovingly holding a small mermaid sculpture. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "First trailer for The Lighthouse evokes early films from a bygone age," 30 July 2019 Two-thirds of the roughly 500 million neurons in an octopus are found in its arms. — Quanta Magazine, "The Thoughts of a Spiderweb," 23 May 2017 In fact, the wrapper has a sketch of an octopus, its limbs spread across the paper. — Ann Trieger Kurland, BostonGlobe.com, "Lobster and chocolate: Great tastes that go great together?," 19 Aug. 2019 On the floor of the French pavilion are an artist's version of a dead octopus and a dismembered human hand. — Blair Kamin, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Letter from Venice: A precarious paradise, engaged in a longtime dialogue with Chicago," 5 July 2019 And, Shemtov revealed, his dad is now a fan of his octopus. — Penny Schwartz, sun-sentinel.com, "Boston chef turns popular falafel truck into a booming Israeli restaurant," 12 June 2019 The unmistakable odor of octopus and squid grilling over charcoal permeated the air. — Taras Grescoe, New York Times, "The Best Asian Food in North America? Try British Columbia," 4 June 2018 Paper-thin rounds of raw octopus, an off-menu item, are crowned unexpectedly with fresh dill. — Todd A. Price, NOLA.com, "Luvi's chef tells a deliciously beautiful story: First look review," 22 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'octopus.' 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 octopus
octopus
noun
English Language Learners Definition of octopus
: a sea animal that has a soft body and eight long arms
: the flesh of an octopus used as food
See the full definition for octopus in the English Language Learners Dictionary
octopus
noun
oc·to·pus
| \ ˈäk-tə-pəs
\
\
plural octopuses
or octopi\ -tə-ˌpī \
Kids Definition of octopus
: a marine animal that has a soft rounded body with eight long flexible arms about its base which have sucking disks able to seize and hold things (as prey)
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