plankton
noun
plank·ton
| \ ˈplaŋ(k)-tən
, -ˌtän\
, -ˌtän\
Definition of plankton
: the passively floating or weakly swimming usually minute animal and plant life of a body of water
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Other Words from plankton
planktonic
\ plaŋ(k)-ˈtä-nik
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of plankton in a Sentence
fish that feed mainly on plankton
Recent Examples on the Web
Most ocean dwellers, from plankton to fish to whales, live in the upper section of the ocean, squarely in the zone where temperatures are increasing quickest. — Alejandra Borunda, National Geographic, "Ocean warming, explained," 14 Aug. 2019 But the new report released Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, by University of Michigan scientists says despite a drop-off of plankton caused by exotic mussels, the voracious carp could feed on other organic material when venturing into deeper waters. — Washington Post, "Study: Asian carp could find plenty of food in Lake Michigan," 12 Aug. 2019 In their data visualizations, every species in a food web — from plankton to panthers — is reduced to a little ball, or node, and every feeding interaction becomes a line between them. — Quanta Magazine, "She Finds Clues to Future Sustainability in Old Food Webs," 21 Mar. 2019 Despite their size — up to around 25 feet across — manta rays only eat plankton, shellfish and small fish. — NBC News, "Manta ray rescued after seemingly approaching Australian snorkelers for help," 12 July 2019 Many of these cartilaginous swimmers eat fish, crustaceans, mollusks, plankton, krill, marine mammals, and other sharks—in short, humans are not on the menu. — Elaina Zachos, National Geographic, "Why are we afraid of sharks? There's a scientific explanation.," 27 June 2019 According to the NOAA’s National Marine Mammal Laboratory, humpback whales are filter feeders, and survive off krill, plankton and small fish, such as anchovies — so capturing the sea lion was a complete mistake for the mammal. — Claudia Harmata, PEOPLE.com, "Incredible Photo Captures Humpback Whale Almost Swallowing Up Sea Lion," 30 July 2019 Near Bermuda, biologist Laurence Madin has found that many in a single haul of plankton. — David Doubilet, National Geographic, "The Sargasso Sea: Why it’s a living laboratory for change," 12 June 2019 As trillions of quagga mussels have spread across lakes Michigan and Huron, the invasive species has consumed much of the plankton, polluting the lake bottom with their waste and possibly providing these microbes a greater energy source. — Tony Briscoe, chicagotribune.com, "Minuscule microbes wield enormous power over the Great Lakes. But many species remain a mystery.," 5 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plankton.' 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 plankton
plankton
noun
English Language Learners Definition of plankton
: the very small animal and plant life in an ocean, lake, etc.
See the full definition for plankton in the English Language Learners Dictionary
plankton
noun
plank·ton
| \ ˈplaŋk-tən
\
\
Kids Definition of plankton
: the tiny floating plants and animals of a body of water
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