tentacle
noun
ten·ta·cle
ˈten-ti-kəl 
1
: any of various elongate flexible usually tactile or prehensile processes borne by invertebrate animals chiefly on the head or about the mouth
2
: something that resembles a tentacle especially in or as if in grasping or feeling out
corruption spreading its tentacles
3
: a sensitive hair or emergence on a plant (such as the sundew)
Examples of tentacle in a Sentence
The corporation's tentacles are felt in every sector of the industry.
the tentacles of organized crime
Recent Examples on the Web
Divorce can feel like an octopus whose tentacles are hard at work sucking in whatever prey is in its path.
—
Lisa Zeiderman, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
What’s next? 408 tentacles: A family went viral last year after posting about its dozens of octopuses.
—Justin Porter, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
At the moment, the tangled web of the Heat’s payroll has far-reaching tentacles.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 21 May 2025
On one of the robot’s first dives, an anemone-like creature with 8-foot-long billowing tentacles appeared about two feet above the seabed.
—ArsTechnica, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tentacle
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Lisa Zeiderman, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
What’s next? 408 tentacles: A family went viral last year after posting about its dozens of octopuses.
—Justin Porter, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
At the moment, the tangled web of the Heat’s payroll has far-reaching tentacles.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 21 May 2025
On one of the robot’s first dives, an anemone-like creature with 8-foot-long billowing tentacles appeared about two feet above the seabed.
—ArsTechnica, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tentacle
Cite this Entry
“Tentacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tentacle. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tentacle
noun
ten·ta·cle
ˈtent-i-kəl
1
: any of various long flexible structures that stick out usually around the head or mouth of an animal (as a jellyfish or sea anemone) and are used especially for feeling or grasping
2
a
: something that resembles a tentacle especially in or as if in grasping or feeling out
b
: a sensitive hair on a plant
Medical Definition
tentacle
noun
ten·ta·cle
ˈtent-i-kəl
: any of various elongate flexible usually tactile or prehensile processes borne by animals chiefly on the head or about the mouth
especially
: one of the threadlike processes bearing nematocysts that hang down from the margin of the umbrella of many jellyfishes
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