Illustration of octopus
- octopus 1
octopus
noun
oc·to·pus
ˈäk-tə-pəs 
-ˌpu̇s
plural octopuses or octopi
ˈäk-tə-ˌpī
1
plural also octopodes
äk-ˈtä-pə-ˌdēz
-ˈtō-
: 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
Atlantic
Examples of octopus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The recordings showed that the octopuses used all of their arms to bend, shorten, elongate, and twist.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
Ghost, a giant Pacific octopus, has entered the final stage of her life – senescence, the Long Beach aquarium said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Her team worked on finding ways to mimic the octopus’s skin, muscles, and tissues.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2025
De Laurentiis shared a snap of their room service dinner, which included a green curry with vegetables on top and another multi-colored dish with octopus and garnishes of radish and onions on top.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for octopus
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Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
Ghost, a giant Pacific octopus, has entered the final stage of her life – senescence, the Long Beach aquarium said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Her team worked on finding ways to mimic the octopus’s skin, muscles, and tissues.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2025
De Laurentiis shared a snap of their room service dinner, which included a green curry with vegetables on top and another multi-colored dish with octopus and garnishes of radish and onions on top.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for octopus
Cite this Entry
“Octopus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/octopus. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
octopus
noun
oc·to·pus
ˈäk-tə-pəs
plural octopuses or octopi
-ˌpī
1
: any of various sea mollusks that are cephalopods having eight muscular arms with two rows of suckers which hold objects (as its prey)
2
: something suggestive of an octopus
especially
: a powerful grasping organization with many branches
Etymology
from scientific Latin Octopod-, Octopus "octopus," from Greek oktōpous, literally, "eight-footed," from oktō "eight" and pous "foot"
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