crustacean

crus·ta·cean | \ ˌkrə-ˈstā-shən

Definition of crustacean

: any of a large class (Crustacea) of mostly aquatic mandibulate arthropods that have a chitinous or calcareous and chitinous exoskeleton, a pair of often much modified appendages on each segment, and two pairs of antennae and that include the lobsters, shrimp, crabs, wood lice, water fleas, and barnacles

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Examples of crustacean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But one company thinks the crustaceans can save human lives by providing their blood for use in new drugs. — USA TODAY, "Lobster blood, Washington’s teeth, Hawaii shark hero: News from around our 50 states," 21 Feb. 2020 But one company thinks the crustaceans can save human lives by providing their blood for use in new drugs, the Associated Press tells us. — Ed Silverman, STAT, "Pharmalittle: Need cheap insulin? Try Craigslist; Trump warned about monopolies on coronavirus treatments," 20 Feb. 2020 On the sea floor, this patchwork of conditions is created by the burrowing of many kinds of marine animals, such as crustaceans, clams, and worms. — Erik Stokstad, Science | AAAS, "Fishing trawlers could harm water quality by disrupting seafloor microbes," 3 Mar. 2020 PCBs, for example, have been detected in high levels within tiny ocean crustaceans called amphipods that had consumed plastics. — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, "Lobsters Crush Ocean Plastic Into Even Smaller Pieces—and That’s Bad," 22 Apr. 2020 Bald notothens, however, actively swim below surface ice to chase krill and other crustaceans while dodging predators such as penguins and seals. — Priyanka Runwal, Scientific American, "Antarctic Fish Is a Blood Doping Champion," 30 Mar. 2020 One of the first signs of trouble in the early stages of the The Blob was a shift in the zooplankton, tiny crustaceans that form the base of the marine food web, said Nate Mantua, a research scientist with NOAA based in Santa Cruz, California. — oregonlive, "Return of The Blob: Oregon researchers investigate latest marine heatwave that could hurt Pacific ecosystems," 20 Sep. 2019 Oakley and Ellis studied ten groups of organisms, including fireflies, octopuses, sharks and tiny crustaceans called ostracods. — Quanta Magazine, "In the Deep, Clues to How Life Makes Light," 1 Dec. 2016 FISHERIES Maine lobster marketers to put premium on flavor, origins Maine’s lobster marketing group will refocus on the flavor and origins of the state’s signature seafood item to try to sell more of the crustaceans. — BostonGlobe.com, "China vows to continue opening financial markets," 30 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crustacean.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

12 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Crustacean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crustacean. Accessed 5 Jul. 2020.

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More Definitions for crustacean

crustacean

noun

English Language Learners Definition of crustacean

technical : a type of animal (such as a crab or lobster) that has several pairs of legs and a body made up of sections that are covered in a hard outer shell

See the full definition for crustacean in the English Language Learners Dictionary

crustacean

noun

crus·ta·cean | \ ˌkrəs-ˈtā-shən

Kids Definition of crustacean

: any of a large group of mostly water animals (as crabs, lobsters, and shrimps) with a body made of segments, a tough outer shell, two pairs of antennae, and limbs that are jointed

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