variants
or less commonly cowry
plural cowries
: any of various marine gastropods (family Cypraeidae) that are widely distributed in warm seas and have glossy and often brightly colored shells
also
: the shell of a cowrie
Examples of cowrie in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The new spot has Chalamet visiting a produce store selling rare vegetables where the owner only accepts antiquated forms of payment — think iron ingots, salts, and cowrie shells.
—
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 July 2025
The encounter then opens up a conversation about how the owner only accepts antiquated forms of payment like iron ingots, salts and cowrie shells.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025
Oakland artist Demetri Broxton (b. 1979) honors him and his family at Fort Point through dazzling beaded portraits, embellished with cowrie shells of a type once used for protection by the Yoruba people of Nigeria and for the purchase of humans during the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
Created from gold chain and cowrie shells, this installation weaves together narratives of trade, colonization and cultural rebirth.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cowrie
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Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 July 2025
The encounter then opens up a conversation about how the owner only accepts antiquated forms of payment like iron ingots, salts and cowrie shells.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025
Oakland artist Demetri Broxton (b. 1979) honors him and his family at Fort Point through dazzling beaded portraits, embellished with cowrie shells of a type once used for protection by the Yoruba people of Nigeria and for the purchase of humans during the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
Created from gold chain and cowrie shells, this installation weaves together narratives of trade, colonization and cultural rebirth.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cowrie
Cite this Entry
“Cowrie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cowrie. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cowrie
noun
cow·rie
variants
also cowry
plural cowries
: any of numerous usually small snails of warm seas with glossy often brightly colored shells
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