eel

verb

eeled; eeling; eels

transitive + intransitive

1

a

: to fish for eels see also eeling

b

: to fish with eels as bait

2

: to move or make (one's way) sinuously or insidiously : worm

Stories my Russian friends had told me about the hundreds who were trampled at Stalin's funeral came back to me. Finally, we gave up and eeled our way out of there.

—Ian Frazier

Did you know?

There are more than 500 fish species known as eels. They are slender, elongated, and usually scaleless, with long dorsal and anal fi ns that are continuous around the tail tip. Eels are found in all seas, from coastal regions to the mid-depths. Freshwater eels are active, predatory fish with small embedded scales. They grow to maturity in freshwater and return to the sea, where they spawn and die. The transparent young drift to the coast and make their way upstream. Freshwater eels, considered valuable food fish, include species ranging from 4 in (10 cm) to about 111⁄2 ft (3.5 m) long.

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing eel

• American eel
• conger eel
• electric eel
• moray eel
• vinegar eel

Rhymes for eel

• beal
• chiel
• ciel
• creel
• deal
• diel
• feel
• feil
• heal
• heel
• keel
• kneel

Kids Definition

eel

noun

ˈē(ə)l 

plural eels or eel

: any of numerous long snakelike fishes that have a smooth slimy skin and the fins in the middle of the back and bottom continuous around the tail

eellike

ˈē(ə)l-ˌlīk 

adjective