sea anemone

noun

: any of numerous usually solitary anthozoan polyps (order Actiniaria) whose form, bright and varied colors, and cluster of tentacles superficially resemble a flower

Examples of sea anemone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Not much is known about sea anemones endemic to South Africa’s intertidal zone, perhaps in part because these polyps retract their tentacles into tight bulbs during low tide and when exposed to air, sunlight and predators. —Liz Lindqwister, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 July 2024

Many of these quirky-looking animals have an equally unusual diet—sea anemones. —Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2024

Down the hall from Carter, Adam Reitzel has about 100,000 sea anemones. —Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 8 May 2024

When moving through a crowd of darting and preening Italians, her presence is anomalous — a sea anemone amid parrotfish. —Molly Young, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

sea anemone

noun

: any of several invertebrate sea animals that are coelenterates, look like flowers, and have clusters of brightly colored tentacles around the mouth