limpet

noun

lim·​pet ˈlim-pət 

1

: a marine gastropod mollusk (especially families Acmaeidae and Patellidae) that has a low conical shell broadly open beneath, browses over rocks or timbers in the littoral area, and clings very tightly when disturbed

2

: one that clings tenaciously to someone or something

3

: an explosive device designed to cling magnetically to a metallic surface (such as the hull of a ship)

Illustration of limpet

• limpet 1

Examples of limpet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The slipper limpet normally lives in stacks of up to 12 individuals, with the largest at the bottom and increasingly smaller animals on each other’s backs. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2025

Amazon $87 Walmart $90 Anker This magnetically sticks to your iPhone like a battery limpet and charges it up wirelessly nice and quick. —Parker Hall, Wired News, 11 July 2025

Four other mysterious limpet mine attacks hit vessels that had called at Russian ports this year. —Brendan Cole john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025

Iran would also consider an effort to shut down the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas tankers using a naval blockade, sea mines, limpet mines deployed by fast boats, or some combination thereof. —Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lempet, from Old English lempedu, from Medieval Latin lampreda lamprey

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

limpet

noun

lim·​pet ˈlim-pət 

: a marine mollusk that has a low cone-shaped shell, moves over rocks or timbers feeding on food found there, and clings very tightly when disturbed