oyster

noun

oys·​ter ˈȯi-stər 

often attributive

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

Examples of oyster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Why, his descriptions of the female organ were almost embarrassingly adolescent—like a pink oyster, a wet flower, a warm glove. —Literary Hub, 9 July 2025

In addition to being delicious, oysters provide a number of nutrients, including protein, omega-3 fats, B12, selenium, zinc, and copper. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 8 July 2025

Lucky Lou’s Raw Bar 123 NE 20th Ave., Deerfield Beach Sometime later this summer, the former Bru’s Room near the Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier will turn into a casual oyster bar and sporty seafood shack. —Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 7 July 2025

The recall included shucked, frozen, breaded, post-harvest processed and oysters for the half-shell market. —Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English oistre, borrowed from Anglo-French oistre, ostre, going back to Latin ostrea, ostreum "bivalve mollusk, oyster," borrowed from Greek óstreion, óstreon, of uncertain origin

Note: Greek óstreion has traditionally been taken to be a derivative, with a suffix -ei-, of a stem going back to Indo-European *h₃esth₁-r-, from the base *h₃esth₁- "bone." See note at ostracon.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing oyster

• European flat oyster
• European oyster
• Olympia oyster
• oyster bed
• oyster crab
• oyster cracker
• oyster drill
• oyster mushroom
• oyster plant
• seed oyster
• the world is someone's oyster
• vegetable oyster

Rhymes for oyster

• cloister
• moister
• royster

Kids Definition

oyster

noun

oys·​ter ˈȯi-stər 

: any of various marine mollusks that include important edible shellfish and have a rough uneven shell made up of two hinged parts and closed by a single muscle