oys·ter
| \ ˈȯi-stər
\
\
Definition of oyster
1a
: any of various marine bivalve mollusks (family Ostreidae) that have a rough irregular shell closed by a single adductor muscle and include commercially important shellfish
b
: any of various mollusks resembling or related to the oysters
2
: something that is or can be readily made to serve one's personal ends
the world was her oyster
3
: a small mass of muscle contained in a concavity of the pelvic bone on each side of the back of a fowl
4
: an extremely taciturn person
5
: a grayish-white color
Examples of oyster in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This isn’t the first time that oysters have been stolen on the Cape. — Emily Sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, "Who stole 4,000 undersized oysters from the town of Sandwich?," 20 Aug. 2019 Briny, wonderful Chincoteague oysters were plated on ice with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink assortment of condiments, including a novelty bottle of Tabasco sauce. — Christina Tkacik, baltimoresun.com, "Inconsistent food and service make for a frustrating dining experience at Inner Harbor’s Blackwall Hitch," 15 Aug. 2019 Originally, brewers would use the shells of the oysters to treat the water. — Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, "Beer with what?! Craft brewers slipping unusual ingredients into your suds," 14 Aug. 2019 More than 3 million oysters a year are grown in Tomales Bay. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Oysters in peril as warming climate alters the water in their habitats," 8 Aug. 2019 Then another round of oysters—actually, let’s make that two. — Alex Delany, Bon Appétit, "The Shop in Portland, Maine, Is My Ultimate Summer Hang," 30 July 2019 Birds were represented by Japanese quail; brown shrimp, pink shrimp and oysters were used to represent shellfish; houseflies and moths joined the cockroaches to represent insects; and guppies and minnows were used to represent fish. — Allen Kim, CNN, "NASA fed some of its precious Apollo 11 lunar samples to cockroaches and mice," 29 July 2019 Also, score an order of oysters in the bar for $1 on July 4. — Chris Sims, Indianapolis Star, "Where to score restaurant deals and more in July around Indianapolis," 1 July 2019 Both states have seen oyster harvests plummet by 80 percent, and shrimp landings are nearly as bad. — Washington Post, "The Latest: Gov asks feds to declare fisheries disaster," 17 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oyster.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for oyster
oyster
noun
English Language Learners Definition of oyster
: a type of shellfish that has a rough shell with two parts and that is eaten both cooked and raw
See the full definition for oyster in the English Language Learners Dictionary
oyster
noun
oys·ter
| \ ˈȯi-stər
\
\
Kids Definition of oyster
: a shellfish that lives on stony bottoms (
oyster beds
) in shallow seawater, has a rough grayish shell made up of two hinged parts, and is often used for food
Keep scrolling for more