oyster

noun, often attributive oys·ter \ ˈȯi-stər \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Definition of oyster

1 a : any of various marine bivalve mollusks (family Ostreidae) that have a rough irregular shell closed by a single adductor muscle and include commercially important shellfish

b : any of various mollusks resembling or related to the oysters

2 : something that is or can be readily made to serve one's personal ends

the world was her oyster

3 : a small mass of muscle contained in a concavity of the pelvic bone on each side of the back of a fowl

4 : an extremely taciturn person

5 : a grayish-white color

See oyster defined for English-language learners

See oyster defined for kids

Recent Examples of oyster from the Web

Meanwhile, in the museum cafe, a waiter circled the communal table at the heart of the white-walled dining room, hawking raw oysters to the tables around the periphery of the room.

— jonathan kauffman, San Francisco Chronicle, "Asian Art Museum takes a risk with young star chef’s destination cafe," 6 June 2018
Island Creek Oysters in Duxbury offers free overnight shipping to send oysters from the bay to his doorstep.

— ann trieger kurland, BostonGlobe.com, "Aw, shucks! Give dad the gift of oysters," 4 June 2018
Peter Hall, owner of Van Rensselaer’s restaurant in Wellfleet, Mass., shucks oysters on May 21.

— ruth simon, WSJ, "Summer Is Here. Where Are All the Workers?," 24 May 2018
Sebastian Elrite, Fisherman Elrite knows a good oyster.

— tim neville, Outside Online, "The Definitive Guide to Visiting the Pacific Northwest," 24 May 2018
Meanwhile, retailers and restaurants shouldn't sell oysters from Baynes Sound harvest location Nos.

— david j. neal, miamiherald, "FDA issues an alert about a norovirus outbreak involving seafood from Canada | Miami Herald," 1 May 2018
The menu is wide-ranging: terrific oysters on the half shell ($3 apiece), hefty chilled shrimp cocktail (three enormous prawns for $10) and uni ($9), fine but not in the same realm as the other two.

— carol deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "It's a bar. It's a restaurant. It's the out-of-ordinary Snack Boys in Walker's Point," 1 May 2018
Like an oyster producing a lustrous pearl from an agitating agent, Neil’s meeting with the renamed Rockets alchemized gnarly, sloppy energy into molten beauty.

— morgan enos, Billboard, "Neil Young & Crazy Horse Return to the Stage: A Crash Course on Their Legendary Collaboration," 25 Apr. 2018
For an extra $3, The Breakfast of Champions, a dirty martini riff, comes with an oyster.

— michael russell, OregonLive.com, "Channeling Paris, Canard opens next door to Le Pigeon tonight," 16 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of oyster

Middle English oistre, from Anglo-French, from Latin ostrea, from Greek ostreon; akin to Greek ostrakon shell, osteon bone — more at osseous

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

OYSTER Defined for English Language Learners

oyster

noun

Definition of oyster for English Language Learners

: a type of shellfish that has a rough shell with two parts and that is eaten both cooked and raw

OYSTER Defined for Kids

oyster

noun oys·ter \ ˈȯi-stər \

Definition of oyster for Students

: a shellfish that lives on stony bottoms ( oyster beds ) in shallow seawater, has a rough grayish shell made up of two hinged parts, and is often used for food