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
Not only does urine not help remove venom from a ray’s barb, it also should not be used to treat a jellyfish sting.
—
Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
Villanueva said her inspiration for the work was her love of jellyfish.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2025
Teen completes brutal swim across New Zealand’s Cook Strait
Californian Maya Merhige, 17, suffered thousands of jellyfish stings during the 14-hour, 27-mile swim.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 1 May 2025
Maya Merhige eventually stopped counting her jellyfish stings, such was the frequency with which they were getting scorched against her skin.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jellyfish
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Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
Villanueva said her inspiration for the work was her love of jellyfish.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2025
Teen completes brutal swim across New Zealand’s Cook Strait
Californian Maya Merhige, 17, suffered thousands of jellyfish stings during the 14-hour, 27-mile swim.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 1 May 2025
Maya Merhige eventually stopped counting her jellyfish stings, such was the frequency with which they were getting scorched against her skin.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jellyfish
Cite this Entry
“Jellyfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jellyfish. Accessed 16 Jun. 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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