box jellyfish
noun
variants
or less commonly box jelly
: any of various cube-shaped jellyfishes (class Cubozoa) of tropical and warm marine waters that inflict a painful and sometimes fatal sting
especially
: an extremely venomous box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) of Australia that has a bell that may reach over 11 inches (28 centimeters) in width with tentacles that may reach a length of over 78 inches (2 meters) : sea wasp
Found in the waters off northern Australia, the box jellyfish … is not the only marine invertebrate to use venom, but it is the possessor of arguably the most lethal venom in the world. —
Jamie Seymour
Jamie Seymour Examples of box jellyfish in a Sentence
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That said, fatalities from jellyfish stings are generally more geographically restricted than shark attacks, occurring mostly in northern Australia and Southeast Asia where the deadly box jellyfish is found.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
To try to solve this puzzle, the researchers turned to the gene-editing tool CRISPR—which also aided in the discovery of an antidote for box jellyfish venom five years ago.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 July 2024
But like box jellyfish, which are nasty, nasty and are painful stings are starting to show up.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 1 July 2024
Life Jellyfish surprise scientists by learning without a brain
Lab experiments showed Caribbean box jellyfish are quick studies of their environment.
—Big Think, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for box jellyfish
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Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
To try to solve this puzzle, the researchers turned to the gene-editing tool CRISPR—which also aided in the discovery of an antidote for box jellyfish venom five years ago.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 July 2024
But like box jellyfish, which are nasty, nasty and are painful stings are starting to show up.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 1 July 2024
Life Jellyfish surprise scientists by learning without a brain
Lab experiments showed Caribbean box jellyfish are quick studies of their environment.
—Big Think, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for box jellyfish
Cite this Entry
“Box jellyfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/box%20jellyfish. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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