Illustration of remora
- remora 1
1
: any of a family (Echeneidae) of marine bony fishes that have the anterior dorsal fin modified into a suctorial disk on the head by means of which they adhere especially to other fishes
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Also known as shark suckers or suckerfish, remoras are long, thin, dark fishes that are distributed throughout the world in warm seas. Ancient sailors believed remoras had the power to slow or even stop a ship by attaching themselves to it; the name remora, which means "delay" in Latin, arose from this ancient superstition. The poor remora’s reputation isn’t much better today. Even though remoras don’t harm their hosts, they are popularly thought of as unwanted guests who get a free ride and a free meal by way of the efforts of others. It is therefore common to see remora used metaphorically in such contexts as "hungry paparazzi who attach themselves like remoras to celebrities."
Examples of remora in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To achieve this, Lamprey steals a page from fish such as lampreys and remoras, which attach themselves to larger animals either to feed or to hitch a ride while enjoying protection and scraps of food.
—
David Szondy
february 09, New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026
However, Meynecke was surprised to see that the cameras were picking up footage of remoras, a breed of fish known more commonly as sucker fish.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
On whale cams, clingy fish steal the show The marine scientist who recorded the accidental close-ups of the remoras’ high-speed whale surfing had placed suction-cup cameras on humpbacks during their annual migration from Antarctica to the waters off Australia’s Queensland state.
—CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
In addition to its pod, the sizable cetacean generally hosts dozens of remoras.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Nov. 2025
The mechanism of sticking was also a bit different from that of remoras.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Aug. 2025
Despite his eternal smile suggesting otherwise, this male dugong seemed visibly annoyed by the dozen remoras hitching a free ride on him.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
Think of it as the advertising version of the symbiotic relationship between sharks and their parasite-eating remora.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 5 July 2024
One day a week of Stewart, then the other correspondents kind of circling Jordan Klepper like remora around a great white?
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2024
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David Szondy
february 09, New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026
However, Meynecke was surprised to see that the cameras were picking up footage of remoras, a breed of fish known more commonly as sucker fish.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
On whale cams, clingy fish steal the show The marine scientist who recorded the accidental close-ups of the remoras’ high-speed whale surfing had placed suction-cup cameras on humpbacks during their annual migration from Antarctica to the waters off Australia’s Queensland state.
—CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
In addition to its pod, the sizable cetacean generally hosts dozens of remoras.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Nov. 2025
The mechanism of sticking was also a bit different from that of remoras.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Aug. 2025
Despite his eternal smile suggesting otherwise, this male dugong seemed visibly annoyed by the dozen remoras hitching a free ride on him.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
Think of it as the advertising version of the symbiotic relationship between sharks and their parasite-eating remora.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 5 July 2024
One day a week of Stewart, then the other correspondents kind of circling Jordan Klepper like remora around a great white?
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Remora.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/remora. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
remora
noun
rem·o·ra
ˈrem-ə-rə 
: any of various marine fishes that have a suction disk on the top of the head by means of which they cling especially to other fishes
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