Illustration of jellyfish
- jellyfish 1a
jellyfish
noun
jel·ly·fish
ˈje-lē-ˌfish 
1
a
: the typically free-swimming, bell-shaped, usually sexually-reproducing solitary or colonial form of a cnidarian in which the whorls of tentacles lined with nematocysts arise and hang down from the margin of the nearly transparent, gelatinous bell : medusa
especially
: a large medusa characteristic of the siphonophores and scyphozoans (such as the sea nettle or box jellyfish)
b
c
2
: a person lacking backbone or firmness
Examples of jellyfish in a Sentence
a jellyfish who was afraid to tell her boss that her latest brainstorm was just plain bad
Recent Examples on the Web
From jellyfish cut to Joker, Lady Gaga is back with another hair transformation.
—
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2025
With the jellyfish style, the top layer is typically curled under with the bottom layer flipped out to mimic the look of a jellyfish.
—Hedy Phillips, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025
Most sunfish spend their days swimming slowly through the world’s oceans, feasting on jellyfish or soaking up the sun near the water’s surface.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025
With bodies shaped similarly to the bell of a jellyfish, Dr. Lewis said, the mushroom corals spend a long time inflating the tissues on the outermost edge of their bodies before releasing them quickly.
—Jason Bittel, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
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Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2025
With the jellyfish style, the top layer is typically curled under with the bottom layer flipped out to mimic the look of a jellyfish.
—Hedy Phillips, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025
Most sunfish spend their days swimming slowly through the world’s oceans, feasting on jellyfish or soaking up the sun near the water’s surface.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025
With bodies shaped similarly to the bell of a jellyfish, Dr. Lewis said, the mushroom corals spend a long time inflating the tissues on the outermost edge of their bodies before releasing them quickly.
—Jason Bittel, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for jellyfish
Dictionary Entries Near jellyfish
Cite this Entry
“Jellyfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jellyfish. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jellyfish
noun
jel·ly·fish
ˈjel-ē-ˌfish
1
: any of numerous free-swimming coelenterate animals that reproduce sexually and have a jellylike, saucer-shaped, and usually nearly transparent body and tentacles with stinging cells
2
: any of various sea animals that resemble a jellyfish
Medical Definition
jellyfish
noun
jel·ly·fish
ˈjel-ē-ˌfish
: a free-swimming marine coelenterate that is the sexually reproducing form of a hydrozoan or scyphozoan and has a nearly transparent saucer-shaped body and extensible marginal tentacles studded with stinging cells
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